A Merseyside couple have been convicted of running a £20million drug smuggling operation from Europe into the UK.
Eddie Burton, 23, and his now ex-partner Sian Banks, 25, aided in the transportation of hundreds of kilos of heroin, cocaine, and ketamine concealed in lorries.
Details of their plot can now be revealed after Banks pleaded guilty to assisting his criminal enterprise on the first day of her trial at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday.
Burton was living in mainland Europe when two lorries containing heroin, cocaine and ketamine were intercepted at Dover port in the summer of 2022.
The drugs seized weighed a combined 307 kilos, with an estimated street value of £20 million.
Border Force officers stopped the first lorry on 3 July and found 90 kilos of ketamine and 50 kilos of cocaine packed into boxes and a Lidl shopping bag.
The second lorry, intercepted on 12 August, contained 142 kilos of cocaine and 25 kilos of heroin hidden inside a modified fuel tank.
Forensics found Burton’s fingerprints and DNA on both drug consignments, and the concealed fuel tank.
The operation, which involved the smuggling of heroin, cocaine, and ketamine in the backs of lorries, was discovered following the arrest of 23-year-old Eddie Burton (above) at Ibiza’s Pacha nightclub in August 2023
Details of their plot can now be revealed as his partner Sian Banks, 25, (above) pleaded guilty to assisting his criminal enterprise on the first day of her trial at Canterbury Crown Court yesterda
The second lorry, intercepted on 12 August, contained 142 kilos of cocaine and 25 kilos of heroin hidden inside a modified fuel tank (above)
Its driver, 64-year-old Latvian national Maris Fridvalds, was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment in March 2023 for his role as courier in the attempted importation.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched a manhunt for Burton, who had relocated from the UK to live between the Netherlands and Spain in early 2021.
He was arrested at Ibiza’s Pacha nightclub in August 2023 for unrelated drug dealing offences while using an alias.
After being extradited to Germany and charged with drug-related crimes, Burton was returned to the UK in March 2024 by the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre (JICC).
Burton subsequently pleaded guilty to four charges of importing Class A and B drugs.
Sian Banks, also from Liverpool, was arrested in December 2023 and later pleaded guilty to seven charges, including importing Class A drugs and money laundering.
Investigations revealed that between June 2022 and October 2023, Banks made monthly trips to the Netherlands and Spain to visit Burton.
A review of her phone also showed that she had smuggled drugs into the UK in her luggage on two separate occasions in August 2022 after visiting Burton in Amsterdam.
Messages uncovered by the NCA revealed Banks’ role in coordinating the first shipment of drugs.
Burton subsequently pleaded guilty to four charges of importing Class A and B drugs
A review of her phone also showed that she had smuggled drugs into the UK in her luggage on two separate occasions in August 2022 after visiting Burton in Amsterdam
Border Force officers stopped the first lorry on 3 July and found 90 kilos of ketamine and 50 kilos of cocaine packed into boxes and a Lidl shopping bag (above)
One message, sent after the first lorry was intercepted, saw Banks inform Burton that her fingerprints were on the ketamine bags. Burton’s response: ‘You’ve never been nicked or had ye prints took anyway so doesn’t matter.’
Banks was also involved in a scam selling counterfeit Covid-19 travel documents during the pandemic.
Both Burton and Banks are set to be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on 12 February.
NCA Branch Commander John Turner commented: ‘Burton, with Banks’ help, attempted to smuggle huge quantities of harmful drugs into the UK, believing he could operate with impunity overseas.
‘Banks held a crucial role in the criminal enterprise, laundering the illicit profits and acting as the UK-based facilitator for the multi-million-pound drug importations.
‘The drugs, had they reached their final destination, would have had a destructive impact on our communities, fuelling violence and exploiting vulnerable people throughout the supply chain.’
