Liverpudlian 'castle tourists' unmasked as £700k cocaine couriers

Thursday 03 February 2022

Two men from Liverpool, who posed as holidaymakers keen to go fishing and visit "the German Castle", have been imprisoned for 11 years for trying to import up to £700,000-worth of cocaine into Jersey.

Craig Patrick Yeowart (38) and Darren Paul Maidment (36) were sentenced in the Royal Court on Thursday, after bringing in 997.9g of cocaine on the ferry from Portsmouth in August 2021.

Prosecuting, Advocate Matthew Maletroit outlined how the pair had been stopped in their car at Elizabeth Terminal, where they said they were visiting the island for a six-day holiday to see "the German Castle" and go fishing.

Customs Officers found a small cut in the metal chassis in their car, which revealed a blue plastic bag in a void - they found that this was part of a trigger switch mechanism within the car.

Inside the bag, a block of white powder was discovered - 997.9 grams of cocaine with a purity of 80%.

According to an expert, the cocaine's high purity meant it could be added to in order to create up to 5kg that could be sold on with a street value of between £400,000 and £700,000.

Pictured: The pair were stopped in their car at Elizabeth Terminal.

When interviewed by officers, Yeowart explained that he had accumulated £9,000 of debt and was given a chance by a Liverpool-based criminal gang to make £2,000 through the importation. He expressed surprise that the drugs were cocaine, saying he thought it was cannabis.

He added he was unsure what Maidment's role was in the operation, just that the gang had arranged for him to accompany Yeowart.

Maidment maintained he was in Jersey on holiday with his friend and they'd planned to go fishing during his interview. When asked about his finances, he said he was struggling.

After being asked whether he would be in a financial position to go on the holiday, he stuck to his story and provided "no comment" answers when pushed further.

Both men had previous drug trafficking offences to their name, and both have previously served time in prison in the UK.

Advocate Maletroit recommended a 12-year sentence for the pair.

Defending Yeowart, Advocate Luke Sette asked for the court to move back their sentencing starting point by a year, calling the prosecution's suggestion "too high" in comparison to other cases.

He described Yeowart's role as simply that of a "courier", noting that, while he was aware of the contraption in his car, it was not installed by him.

Pictured: The nearly-one kilogram haul found by customs was thought to have a street value of up to £700,000 due to its purity.

He added that "Mr Yeowart is the first to acknowledge his previous failings" and "sincerely regrets his actions", adding that he had already attended sessions with a drug and alcohol counsellor in prison.

Advocate Sette also highlighted a previous family bereavement, saying Yeowart "resorted to drug use to deal with this trauma" and that "he wants to resolve these issues that led him astray."

Defending Maidment, Advocate Adam Harrison said that Yeowart's account "appears to be consistent" with Maidment's claims that he was simply to accompany him, saying he was given £250 spending money for the trip and £250 upon his return to Liverpool.

With this in mind, he said the purity of the drugs would be more relevant when sentencing a defendant who has sourced it than someone who acted as a courier who has no financial interest in the drug or knowledge of purity.

He said that Maidment's family relationships showed a "positive side to his character" and highlighted that he had used his time in custody to speak to a substance misuse counsellor and had attended AA meetings to help him with his drinking.


He asked for the sentence to be put at 10 years.

Handing down the Court's sentence, Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq, sitting with Jurats Jerry Ramsden, Robert Christensen MBE and Karen Le Cornu, noted it was a "a very substantial importation with an element of sophistication", referring to the car mechanism.

Addressed the point made that the pair were mere mules, he reminded them that "the role of a courier is an essential stage" in the drug dealing process.

He said the Royal Court had noted the duo's guilty pleas, saying to them that "whilst the evidence against you was strong they are nonetheless of significant value".

Stating that the Court agreed that the prosecution's starting point was too high, the Bailiff handed down a sentence to both men of 11 years in prison.

Following the trial, Paul Le Monnier, Senior Manager for Borders in Jersey's Customs and Immigration Service, commented: "The discovery of such a sophisticated importation attempt has undoubtedly disrupted a syndicate who were targeting Jersey, to market Class A drugs.

"The sentences handed down by the Courts today reflect the serious nature of this crime."