A corrupt port worker involved in importing what he thought was £118m worth of cocaine has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after a National Crime Agency investigation.
Michael Jordan, 45, from Portsmouth, worked at the city’s docks and was on shift when 372 pallets of bananas arrived on a cargo vessel called MV Atlantic Klipper.
The shipment had originated from Colombia, and the vessel had stopped on its way to the UK at Vlissingen in the Netherlands.
NCA officers worked closely with the Dutch police, who found 1,477 kilos of cocaine which was replaced with dummy packages.
When the boat arrived into Portsmouth in April 2022, officers watched Jordan on CCTV separating pallets which he believed contained the drugs and moving them to a separate warehouse.
Jordan and his accomplice at the docks David Oliver, from Portsmouth, who was convicted for his role last year, then attempted to conceal the pallets among an unconnected consignment.
Jordan then prepared for the arrival of Turkish lorry driver Ahmet Aydin, who was also convicted last year, so the load could be moved into his trailer quickly and without detection.
The NCA shared intelligence with West Midlands Police, who arrested four men as part of their own investigation when the dummy load was transported to a rural location near Lichfield in Staffordshire.
Jordan was arrested along with Oliver and Aydin at the same time on suspicion of conspiracy to import class A drugs. He was convicted after a three-week trial at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (7 July) and sentenced today.
NCA Branch Commander Matt McMillan said: “Michael Jordan was part of a criminal conspiracy to import a large quantity of cocaine through the UK border.
“He used his insider knowledge as a port worker to make money from the cocaine trade, which fuels violence and exploitation on our streets.
“The NCA worked closely with the port operator, international partners, and West Midlands Police to dismantle this organised crime group and protect the public.”
10 July 2023
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