We represented a client charged with drug importation at Canterbury Crown Court. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offered no evidence following a rigorous defence statement served by us.
Our client, AS, was charged with importing 19 kg of Class A drugs and over 600 kg of Class B drugs, namely ecstasy, ketamine and cannabis, which had an estimated street value of £18 million. He denied all allegations but was remanded into custody to await trial.
Our client was an international lorry driver by trade. He stated that he had no knowledge of the drugs contained within his load.
Prosecution’s Case
The Crown’s case was that our client was part of the organised drug importation into the UK. They alleged that he had knowingly imported drugs into the country. They sought to adduce tachograph and GPS mapping which showed the route our client had taken prior to entering the UK.
Case review and strategy
We undertook a detailed review of the prosecution’s case and identified key weaknesses which were highlighted in our Defence Statement. Our client was Belarusian and spoke Russian. In order to obtain our client’s instructions, we were required to instruct an interpreter to ensure that information was properly conveyed in spite of the language barrier.
The statement clearly set out our client’s position. It requested that the prosecution fully disclosed evidence in their possession including CCTV/dashcam footage from our client’s lorry. We requested further information in respect of the wider investigation.
We also instructed a digital forensic expert, Stuart Banks of Digital Forensics Consultancy Ltd, to conduct a review of the client’s phone data and identify any text messages that supported our client’s defence.
Prosecution offers no evidence
Because of our proactive and rigorous approach, the prosecution was forced to reconsider and review the evidence against our client.
As a result of this, the Crown soon realised and was forced to admit that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction and there was insufficient evidence to support that the defendant knew of the drugs or was involved in their importation.
Therefore, the prosecution formally offered no evidence against our client, resulting in the Judge entering not guilty verdicts. Our client was therefore acquitted and released from prison.
Our client was represented by Supervising Solicitor Jack Stewart, who instructed in house counsel, Ronnie Manek. Both were expertly assisted by Paralegal, Oskar Smith.
This result underscores the importance of early and effective legal advice. It also demonstrates how a well-prepared Defence Statement can play a decisive role in achieving a positive outcome in even the most serious of cases.
