Hugh French leads prosecution in £34m cocaine smuggling case

Hugh French prosecuted five men who admitted conspiring to import almost half a tonne of cocaine into East Sussex by fishing boat.

The drugs, with an estimated street value of £34 million, had been deposited in the English Channel and fitted with a GPS tracker before being recovered and brought into Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne.

The court heard that the operation involved an organised crime group with international reach.

All five defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a Class A drug.

They received combined prison sentences totalling 58 years and eight months.

The investigation was led by the NCA. Hugh was instructed by the CPS Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID).

Hugh French prosecutes and defends in serious cases of Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Homicide. He sits as Recorder in Crime on the Midlands circuit.

BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq33xmzlmrxxo

Sussex Press: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/crime/five-jailed-over-bid-to-smuggle-cocaine-worth-ps34m-into-eastbourne-marina-9307059

Glasgow Times: https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/26183331.airdrie-william-donohoe-charged-34m-cocaine-seized-english-channel/