A mother and son have been sentenced for attempting to smuggle cocaine worth up to £294,000 into the UK via Manchester Airport. Amanda Meadowcroft, 53, and her son Bradley Couzins, 34, were found to have orchestrated the importation of 14 kilograms of the class A drug after a holiday to the Dominican Republic.
Border Force officers stopped Meadowcroft and a female friend on 22 April last year. The friend stated she had packed her blue suitcase herself but that the black bag was packed by Couzins, who also paid for her ticket. A search of both bags revealed 14 packages containing cocaine, though experts later said the drugs were of low purity and contained mostly cutting agents.
Text messages between Meadowcroft and Couzins, seized from Meadowcroft's phone, showed they discussed travel arrangements including class of travel and transport. The court heard that Couzins was the mastermind behind the plot. Both pleaded guilty to fraudulent evasion of a prohibition by bringing a controlled drug into the UK.
Meadowcroft, of Argyle Street, Darwen, Lancashire, was sentenced to seven years in prison. She has 49 previous convictions, including a similar offence involving 30 kilograms of cannabis for which she received a suspended sentence. Her defence said she felt intimidated by Couzins and was genuinely ashamed of her actions.
Couzins, of Gillibrand Street, Darwen, was jailed for seven years and six months. He also received a concurrent sentence for assaulting an emergency worker after trying to smash his phone out of a National Crime Agency officer's hand, causing a deep cut. He has 25 previous convictions and expressed remorse, stating he wanted to live a law-abiding life for the sake of his son.
Judge Hilary Mandley noted that the low purity of the cocaine did not diminish the seriousness of the offence, though she tempered the sentences accordingly. NCA Senior Investigation Officer Charles Lee said the duo had gone to great lengths to smuggle class A drugs out of greed, culminating in a violent act by Couzins.
