By Noel Thompson, Freelance WriterLONDON:
TWO JAMAICANS, a man and a woman, were sentenced last week to more than 10 years imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court in England, after they were held in a cocaine dragnet.
This brings to six, the number of Jamaicans and one Briton to be sentenced for drug running in Leeds Crown Court, since last month.
The two sentenced Tuesday were Vincent Bassett, 37, who was living at Shepherd's Lane in Chapel Town, Leeds, and Kadesha Francis, 19, living in Brixton at the time of her arrest. Bassette was jailed for six and half years while Francis was jailed for three years and nine months.
The two Jamaicans, who hailed originally from Kingston, face deportation on completion of their prison term. Trial Judge Kerry Macgill said he would recommend that they be deported and he condemned the wanton level of shootings and violent crimes in and around the city, which he said were drug-related.
The court heard that last October, the two planned to supply the cocaine market between Leeds and London (a 200-mile radius) with the contraband.
The court was further told that Francis journeyed by coach from London to Leeds with the drug, which had a street value of £15,000. It was to be collected by Bissette. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, while Bissette pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply.
Among the other Jamaicans sentenced recently were Jason Lewis, 29, of a Montego Bay address; Granville Graham and Dennis Samuels from Kingston. Lewis was sent away for seven and half years.
Samuels, 30, who hailed from Maverley in Kingston, was said to be the head of a cocaine ring which imported the drug from Jamaica, employing several persons as 'mules.' Samuels was deported to Jamaica in 2000, after serving a prison term on cocaine charges. He managed, however, to wriggle his way back into the UK by using a false passport, it was reported. Graham, 28, who was a private detective in Kingston, was said to be the man who acted as the nurse for the 'mules,' pampering them while they passed out numerous pieces of crack-cocaine, which they had swallowed.
Graham was sentenced to six years imprisonment while Samuels was sentenced to 12 years. They were responsible for importing almost two kilos of cocaine worth £319, which police confiscated.
Meanwhile, the UK police are continuing their search for two other members of the drug ring, one of whom they have identified as Orange Shand, a Jamaican, who they believe is hiding in London.
