Weed puts flowerpot men in jail

Weed puts flowerpot men in jail

Nov 28 2003

South London Press

GANG of drug dealers are behind bars after being caught transporting a tonne of cannabis hidden underneath ceramic flowerpots.

Kevin Jones, 41, Paul Eden, 42, and Paul Mcgee, 45, were at the "top of the supply chain" and stood to make massive profits from the top quality resin.

But the trio, jailed this week for a total of 19 years, were snared as they attempted to move the £2.2million consignment to a secret lock-up.

Detectives smashed the drugs ring after a two-month surveillance operation which took them across South London.

Jones, followed by Eden and Mcgee in a BMW, was followed by detectives after he picked up the illicit lorry-load on May 13.

When the convoy reached Nine Elms Lane in Battersea, officers pounced and the gang was arrested.

Ken Millett, prosecuting, told Kingston Crown Court: "During the two months, officers followed the defendants to locations and videotaped and photographed their meetings between March and May 13.

"They met at The Greyhound pub in Kennington and The Queen Victoria pub in Rotherhithe. During this period they were seen using a series of vehicles including a transporter, two Mercedes and a BMW."

In the two months, the gang bought cars, mobile phones, four pallets of ceramic flowerpots and a lock-up in Westmore Street, Charlton. Jones, of Douglas Road, Welling, Kent; Eden, of Frankland Close, Southwark Park Road, Southwark; and Mcgee, of Elgis Place, Lambeth, admitted conspiracy to supply a class-B drug.

Jones was jailed on Wednesday for five-and-a-half years, Eden for seven years, and Mcgee for six-and-a-half. Passing sentence, Judge Richard McGregor Johnson said: "You have pleaded guilty to the serious offence of conspiracy to supply a large quantity of cannabis resin, 11kg. You were not involved in the importation of the drugs but you were involved at the next stage.

"You were told of the supply chain in this case. Even if you did not know the quantity of the drugs, you must have known it was substantial as four pallets were to be used.

"The only way the courts can deal with this kind of offence is to show others they are bound to get a lengthy custodial sentence if caught."

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