Hull man George Bell jailed for his part in £23m cannabis smuggling operation
SMUGGLERS: George Bell from west Hull has been jailed for his part in a cannabis smuggling operation. Boxes full of cannabis resin were seized by police.
SMUGGLERS: George Bell from west Hull has been jailed for his part in a cannabis smuggling operation. Boxes full of cannabis resin were seized by police.
A SECOND man from East Yorkshire has been jailed for his part in a £23m cannabis smuggling ring.
The Mail told last week how gas man David Bland, 46, of Kingston Road, Willerby, was jailed for four years after he was linked to a year-long smuggling operation, which saw 4.5-tonnes of the class B drug smuggled into the country.
Now, George Bell, 61, of St Mark’s Square, west Hull, has been jailed for three years and nine months following a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court.
He is one of 12 members of a crimes group, led by prolific drug smuggler Joseph Ashman, who have been jailed for a total of 66 years.
Over a two-month period, officers from the National Crime Agency followed the activities of Ashman and his associates as they attempted to distribute cannabis resin across the UK.
Ashman, 46, from Essex, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering. He was sentenced to eight years and eight months behind bars.
Officers watched as Ashman met his associates at various locations to coordinate the delivery and distribution of the drugs.
The vast amounts of cannabis were smuggled into Felixstowe Docks in Suffolk.
Bland was one of Ashman’s trusted confidants and customers.
In October 2013, Bland provided a courier, Bell, to collect 24 kilos of cannabis resin on his behalf.
The drugs were destined to be sold on the streets of Hull.
NCA officers notified Northamptonshire Police, who stopped Bell on the M1 motorway and arrested him.
Bland was arrested by Humberside Police in January last year following surveillance activity.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and Bell pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.
Brendan Foreman, regional head of investigations at the National Crime Agency, said: “Joseph Ashman was responsible for trafficking millions of pounds worth of drugs into the UK using his trusted contacts to arrange their distribution.
“Investigations like this rely on commitment and partnership.
“The continued targeting of Ashman’s activities by officers from the National Crime Agency, and our colleagues in six separate police forces, eventually took its toll.
“The evidence gathered against the 13 group members was overwhelming and they all pleaded guilty to their crimes.
“The collaboration between the UK law enforcement agencies has resulted in Ashman’s criminal empire being completely dismantled.”
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Soft Secrets
