A drugs trafficker who was extradited from Spain has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a major Teesside narcotics conspiracy. Christopher Hobaiter, 43, oversaw the logistics of transporting high-purity cocaine from Merseyside to Teesside before fleeing to Alicante.
Courier intercepted with £100,000 cocaine haul
Hobaiter enlisted Ben Cousans, 46, as a courier to collect substantial packages and ferry them back across the Pennines. Prosecutor Anthony Pettengell informed Teesside Crown Court that cocaine — at 92% purity — was collected by Cousans in his Jaguar between September 2023 and May 2024.
Officers from the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit and Durham Police intercepted Cousans at Scotch Corner on 22 May 2024, during what turned out to be his sixth and final drugs run, reports Teesside Live. A substantial package of cocaine was uncovered in the footwell of Cousans' car, estimated to have a street value of £100,000.
Hobaiter's flight to Spain and extradition
While Cousans remained in custody awaiting interview, Hobaiter made repeated attempts to contact him, Mr Pettengell added. Hobaiter had travelled to Alicante before his courier was detained and the court was told that he remained "at large" in Spain for a period before his arrest. He served 29 days in a Spanish jail before being extradited, and subsequently admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
The court heard that the narcotics were traded "on a commercial scale and many tens of thousands of pounds" were deposited into Hobaiter's bank accounts. Hobaiter directed Cousans using both "clean and dirty phones."
Previous convictions and sentencing
In 2014, Hobaiter received a 30-month prison sentence after being caught in possession of more than £28,000 worth of cocaine. In 2016, he appeared in court again after a property he let out in Middlesbrough was discovered to have hazardous levels of carbon monoxide escaping from a fire, receiving a suspended sentence.
When Cousans was detained at Scotch Corner, he informed officers that he had accepted the courier role because he owed money. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine at a previous hearing. For Cousans, Stephen Constantine explained that his client's business had accumulated £60,000 of debt during Covid. References provided to the court portrayed Cousans, who is a father, as "reliable, professional, hard working and community-minded."
Judge Paul Reid sentenced Hobaiter, from Linden Avenue in Stockton, to 12 years behind bars. Cousans, from Cradoc Grove in Ingleby Barwick, received a four-year prison term. Prosecutors secured approval for a proceeds of crime application, seeking to seize unlawful earnings generated through the narcotics enterprise.
Following the verdict, North East Regional Organised Crime Unit Detective Inspector Simon Drenon remarked: "This has been an excellent display of the specialist operations we're carrying out on a regular basis to pursue offenders like Cousans and Hobaiter and bring them before a court. It has demonstrated the united stance we have in the North East, alongside our partners, to protect communities and tackle illegal drug operations – no matter their scale or where they try to hide.
"Having Class A drugs imported to the North East is incredible damaging to our communities. It can create harm and violence and profits from these sales fund wider organised crimes like child sexual abuse and modern slavery. Under the banner of Operation Sentinel, our united regional approach to tackling Serious and Organised crime in all forms, we'll continue to work with partners to pursue suspects and protect the public."
