Major Drug Seizures at Newcastle Airport Lead to Court Appearances

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Seven individuals have been brought before the courts after attempts to smuggle cannabis and cocaine through Newcastle International Airport. The drugs, with a combined street value exceeding £8.5 million, were intercepted by UK Border Force and North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) officers in several incidents involving flights from destinations including Thailand, Dubai, Canada, and Mexico.

One of the largest hauls involved Alistair Paylor, 48, who was caught with 25.18 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a suitcase following his return from Cancun, Mexico. Newcastle Crown Court heard that Paylor was acting as a drug courier to clear his debts to criminal associates. The cocaine, which was 97% pure, was divided into 12 vacuum-sealed packages and had a street value estimated between £7 million and £8.5 million. Paylor, from High Northgate, Darlington, has a history of convictions, including possession with intent to supply cannabis, pleaded guilty to attempting to import cocaine illegally, and was sentenced to six years in prison.

In another case, James Harris, 42, was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail for his role in an attempt to import 50 kilograms of cannabis from Thailand. The drugs, found hidden in two large suitcases at Newcastle Airport, carried a street value of approximately £172,000. Harris, of Kirkstone Place, Newton Aycliffe, was arrested shortly after the seizure and admitted to importing Class B drugs during a court hearing at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Arkadiusz Golab, 20, a Polish national from Gunby Road, Scunthorpe, was caught after arriving on a flight from Dubai carrying cannabis worth nearly £100,000. He revealed that an organised crime group had pressured him into smuggling the drugs and promised £2,000 for successful delivery. Golab pleaded guilty to importing cannabis and was sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution at Newcastle Crown Court.

Jayjay Quick, 30, from Priory Road, Hastings, was stopped after arriving from Bangkok with 37 kilograms of cannabis concealed in a suitcase. Quick, who has ten previous convictions related to drugs and driving offences, told the court he had been threatened with a gun by gangsters in Thailand and only wanted to return to his mother in the UK. He pleaded guilty and was given a 20-month sentence suspended for two years, 100 hours of unpaid work, and a one-year ban on travelling to Thailand.

Other notable cases include a pregnant teenager caught attempting to bring cannabis valued at tens of thousands of pounds into the country, who was spared jail, and a woman whose suspicious behaviour at the baggage carousel led to drugs being discovered in her luggage.