Northern Irish man jailed for 14 years in Athens for drugs smugglin
A Northern Irish lorry driver is starting a 14-year prison sentence in a Greek jail for his part in a £1m herbal cannabis-smuggling operation.
A Northern Irish lorry driver is starting a 14-year prison sentence in a Greek jail for his part in a £1m herbal cannabis-smuggling operation.
Andrew Doherty, from Sion Mills, County Tyrone, was arrested in November 2011 as part of a police operation involving the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Garda Siochana in the Irish Republic and the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency.
The arrest was made in Igoumenitsa, a coastal city in north-west Greece, after Greek police and customs officers stopped the lorry the 38-year-old was driving. They found 125kg of herbal cannabis, which police believe was destined for Northern Ireland.
A PSNI spokesman said Doherty appeared in court in Athens on Friday and was sentenced to 14 years in jail. A Greek was also jailed by the same court.
A number of other suspects were arrested at the time of the seizure, which included a further 100kg of herbal cannabis found in a warehouse in Greece.
Detective Chief Inspector Todd Clements, from the PSNI's organised crime branch, said: "We welcome this substantial sentence imposed on an individual involved in drugs supply. Drugs pose an international threat to local communities in Northern Ireland and organised crime branch is committed to working with agencies across the world to ensure Northern Ireland is a safer place. Our inquiries into this seizure will continue."
http://www.guardian.co.uk 17/05/2013
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