Waiting in the toilets at Manchester Airport, a gang of Americans thought they were about to make a lot of money
American drug runners were busted when £8m-worth of cocaine was found in suitcases at Manchester Airport. Five women and two men recruited by crime bosses offered 'considerable' payments were flown to the UK and ordered to pick up 12 bags.
Inside was more than 300kg of the Class A drug. The plan fell apart after a member of staff at an X-ray machine raised the alarm and border officials swooped.
Three members of the group were arrested on the spot. Four others were detained in rooms at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, opposite the airport. Two were naked in bed when officers burst in.
Six people have now been jailed for their roles in the 'sophisticated' operation, which prosecutors said was 'orchestrated' by crooks further up the chain. Another faces prison pending a further hearing.
The recruited members - all US nationals - were split into 'teams' and travelled to Manchester on different flights, Manchester Crown Court was told.
Brian Marealle, 32, and Laquesa Greer, 50, flew in from JFK Airport in New York. Charles Mass, 29, and his girlfriend Brianna Hunt, 22, came to the UK from Orlando. And Yulibeth Gonzalez, 26, Leandra Royer, 26, and Chloe Sandoval, 24, flew from Los Angeles via Dusseldorf.
Their arrivals - on the morning May 31 last year - were timed to coincide with an incoming flight from Cancun. On that plane were 12 suitcases, each containing between 22 and 24 blocks of cocaine. Each had different a name tag.
The members were each given the details of two cases to collect. Each were told they would be paid between $4,000 and $5,000, plus travel expenses.
The 'key orchestrator' was a person named in court as 'Nate'. He worked 'in close connection' with an associate called 'Cruz', prosecutors said. They