Drug courier transported cocaine in gas bottles

Craig Martin admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine

A courier who transported cocaine hidden in gas bottles and hundreds of thousand of pounds of cash has been jailed for nine years and seven months.

Craig Martin, 47, was paid £26,000 for his involvement in a gang which flooded the north-east of England with drugs and moved about £8m in cash, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Many of his associates have already been jailed after law enforcement cracked the EncroChat network used by criminal gangs.

Martin, of Dorcas Avenue in Newcastle, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Between October 2019 and June 2020, the gang transported at least 172kg of cocaine from the south of England to the North East, Judge Julie Clemitson said.

Martin, who operated under the EncroChat handle Military Spider, was responsible for the collection and delivery of about 100kg of that, the judge said, with him being a "trusted and much relied upon courier".

The drugs were transported inside gas bottles

The drugs were packed into empty gas canisters and driven the "length of the country", the judge said, with the "very high purity" cocaine then sold on and split up into "millions of doses" for the streets.

The gang used vehicles with hidden compartments to move the drugs and cash, and carried plumbing equipment to pose as essential workers in case they were stopped by police during the coronavirus lockdowns, the court hears.

Martin also moved large amounts of cash including half a million pounds which was found hidden behind a fireplace in a Newcastle home, the judge said.

The gang moved millions of pounds in cash

Judge Clemitson said Martin admitted receiving £26,000 for his part of the operation, which many people would consider to be a "handsome reward" but was "modest" compared to the gang's takings.

Martin had started working for the gang due to his "dire financial straits" caused by gambling, the judge said.