Businessman pleads guilty to sale of ex-military vehicles to Sudan

A businessman and his former employee pleaded guilty yesterday at Southwark Crown Court, to the unlawful sale of ex-military vehicles to Sudan, following a successful prosecution by Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO).

Andrew Jackson, the owner of Jackson & Co Ltd, a company in Doncaster, and Steven Smithey were charged with illegally exporting fifteen Hagglund BV206 personnel carriers. These vehicles are manufactured in Sweden for military and civilian use and each one can, with its trailer, carry up to seventeen people. They are purposefully designed with a low weight displacement, making them ideal for driving where there are no hard roads or over uneven surfaces such as snow or sand, which makes them perfect for military use.

In March 2004 the UK Government introduced the Trade in Controlled Goods (Embargoed Destinations Order) 2004. The purpose of this order was in part to restrict the supply of equipment with military capabilities to designated areas of conflict. A special licence is required to export these vehicles to certain destinations such as war-torn countries, like Sudan, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

More than 2 years worth of work by prosecutors and investigators, including foreign enquiries to Norway, the destination, to which the goods were diverted, resulted in compelling evidence being obtained that a contract between Jackson & Co Ltd and Sudan had been fulfilled.

L. Jackson & Co was found to be a long standing company, which prided itself on involvement in the supply of used, refurbished and new ex-Ministry of Defence and NATO vehicles and machinery.

Julie Snell, prosecuting lawyer for RCPO said:

"This result represents 2 years of dedicated teamwork between lawyers and investigators working together to prevent illegal arms trafficking. The RCPO prosecution team presented over 700 pages of evidence in support of their case, including electronic material and foreign evidence from Norway".

Both men are due to be sentenced on 30 October 2009 at Southwark Crown Court.

(HMRC) Former England cricketer jailed for drug smuggling

Former England Test cricketer Christopher Lewis was jailed today for 13 years after being convicted of smuggling cocaine into the UK. Accomplice Chad Kirnon, a London basketball player, was jailed for 13 years. Between them, the two men hid over three kilos of cocaine in tins of fruit juice carried in their baggage. The drugs had an estimated street value of £140,000.

Investigators from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) interviewed Lewis (41) and Kirnon (27) after UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers detected the drugs on 8 December 2008. The two men had arrived at Gatwick Airport on a flight from St Lucia and following the discovery they were arrested and subsequently charged.

The trial, which was prosecuted by the Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO), commenced at Croydon Crown Court on 11 May 2009.

Peter Avery, Assistant Director, HMRC Criminal Investigations said:
"Sportsmen and women who are regularly in the public eye have a responsibility to act as role models and ambassadors for their respective sports. It is therefore even more disappointing when such role models get involved in the criminality of attempting to smuggle Class A drugs into the UK. HMRC investigators do not differentiate in their determination to bring anyone involved in such activity to justice, whether they are famous or not.

Drugs devastate lives and communities and we are determined to prevent them reaching UK streets.

Anyone with information relating to smuggled goods or other illegal activities should contact HMRC's 24 hour hotline on 080...."

In passing sentence, His Honour Judge Nicholas Ainley said:
"The majority of smugglers usually have the courage or dignity to plead guilty and get credit for that. You have forfeited the right to do that. Kirnon you made it as a basketball player and Lewis you have been at the top of your profession. Your motivation was greed, you decided the risks were worth it and the rewards substantial. This was major organised crime."