Man 'played key role' in £40m cocaine conspiracy

The drugs were transferred from a ship off the coast at Easington, police said

A man has been found guilty after "playing a key role" in a conspiracy to import cocaine with a street value of more than £40m.

The drugs were found in a van at The Stags Head Inn in Lelley, near Hedon in East Yorkshire, on 4 May after they were transferred from a ship sailing in the North Sea.

Mark Moran, 23, of Glenfyne Terrace in Ardrishaig, Scotland, was convicted of conspiracy to import Class A drugs by a majority verdict at Hull Crown Court on Friday. He was cleared of a second charge of conspiracy to supply.

Anthony McAllister, 33, of Aldersyde in Taynuilt, Scotland, was found not guilty on both counts.

The cocaine was found in a van in a pub car park in Lelley, East Yorkshire

The trial previously heard both men had admitted their part in collecting the consignment from an arranged drop-off point in the North Sea, but denied knowing it was cocaine, which had been shipped from Columbia.

The court also heard the operation had incurred substantial costs, including the purchase of a £40,000 boat, which was later left at Lowestoft, Suffolk, after it was searched by Border Force officials on 25 April, before any contraband was collected.

Prosecutor Angus McDonald said the conspiracy was obviously lucrative enough for them to make that decision.

The boat finally used in the operation was bought for £6,000 from Wells in Somerset, along with a Volvo from Bristol.

The court heard that Moran had played a key role in the operation and was the main point of contact in the UK.

The boat was later recovered on the beach at Easington, East Yorkshire, after the drugs had been loaded into the van.

Moran, along with Colombian national Didier Tordecilla Reyes, who has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine, are due to be sentenced at a later date.

Mr McAllister's barrister, David Hall, previously told the court: "By his own account he [Mr McAllister] was up to no good."

However, he said his client, who had been hired to skipper the boat, had been asked to pick up a consignment of tobacco.

Giving evidence, Mr McAllister told the court: "If I had known then I was going to be involved in the smuggling of cocaine I would have said no – that ruins lives."

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