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Former Asda Manager Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison for Cannabis Smuggling

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A former Asda manager has been locked up for 20 months after she was found guilty of attempting to smuggle over 30 kilograms of cannabis into the UK through Manchester Airport. Louisa De Marco, 53, had flights to Thailand paid for by her handlers and was promised £10,000 if the smuggling bid was successful. However, she was detained by Border Force officers after arriving back on home soil.

Key Takeaways:

  • Louisa De Marco, a 53-year-old former Asda manager, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for attempting to smuggle 31.25 kilograms of cannabis into the UK through Manchester Airport.
  • De Marco had flights to Thailand paid for by her handlers and was promised £10,000 if the smuggling bid was successful.
  • She was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport after arriving back on home soil, and she denied that the two suitcases containing the cannabis were hers.
  • De Marco has a history of financial difficulties, having lost her management role at Asda due to the Covid pandemic and subsequently being assessed as unfit to work due to physical and mental health difficulties.
  • Her defense team argued that there was an element of 'intimidation' from her handlers, who threatened to cancel her flights home if she refused to comply.
  • The judge, Recorder Sarah Griffin, took into account De Marco's strong mitigation, including her role as a mother and the potential impact on her adult daughter, but ultimately decided that a prison sentence was necessary due to the seriousness of the offense.
  • De Marco pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.

Statistics:

  • 31.25 kilograms of cannabis were found in the two suitcases De Marco attempted to bring into the UK.
  • De Marco was promised £10,000 if the smuggling bid was successful.
  • She earned around £40,000 a year in her previous management role at Asda.
  • De Marco has been assessed as unfit to work due to physical and mental health difficulties.
  • She has been receiving benefits since losing her job.

Sources:

  • Manchester Crown Court.
  • Chloe Fordham, prosecuting.
  • Bradley Mather, defending.
  • Recorder Sarah Griffin, judge.

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