Singing drug smuggler jailed
19.02.08
A drug smuggler who was trying to bring cocaine worth £500,000 into Scotland via Edinburgh Airport was yesterday jailed for 6 years. Nigerian-born Edmond Okoli, 43, had denied smuggling cocaine into Scotland in November 2005 and being concerned in the supply of the drug, however a languages expert testified that he had been singing that he had 'got the drugs' after picking up a number of crates from the airport.
Edinburgh High Court had heard how a 6 kg consignment of the drug was skillfully hidden in the wooden slats of packing cases flown into Edinburgh Airport from South America, and almost escaped the notice of searching detectives and customs officers. Mr Okoli, a security guard living in London, turned up to collect the crates, filled with cheap crockery from Peru, using a fake driving licence as ID.
However, police and customs officers had seized the cocaine and hidden a microphone in the crates. As Mr Okoli drove the Toyota van away the microphone picked up the sound of someone singing in a foreign language. A languages expert translated the words as: 'He who's got the drug is going ...'
Mr Okoli said that he had been offered £500 to pick up the Peruvian artifacts and knew nothing about drugs. He named those he claimed were really to blame, but a jury rejected his story and found him guilty, by majority.
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