Fugitive who lived like an African king jailed
AFUGITIVE from Ormskirk who plotted to smuggle 400 kilos of cocaine into the UK in frozen Argentinian beef “lived like an African king”.
David McDermott, 43, married the daughter of the governor of Ghana’s Central Bank and enjoyed a life of luxury during three years on the run.
The dad-of-six was captured in Accra, the capital of the West African state, in a sting led by the National Crime Agency and Ghanaian authorities.
McDermott failed in a bid to avoid extradition and was brought back to Britain, where he was jailed on Wednesday December 21 for 13 years.
Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said: “This case arises out of a plan to import a massive quantity of cocaine of high purity from South America.
“It was a plan that very nearly succeeded. The impact would have been enormous had the drugs reached the streets.”
McDermott was part of a Liverpoolbased gang who imported the superstrength cocaine, worth up to £70million, hidden among meat from Buenos Aires.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Border Force officers intercepted 16 holdalls of the 79% pure drug on May 3, 2013, at Tilbury Docks, Essex.
William Baker, prosecuting, said the shipping container was only inspected “by chance” because of an E. coli problem at the Argentinian meat factory.
Officers removed the 400 blocks with the logo “Burro” – Spanish for donkey – on the side and replaced them with dummy bricks.
The load was then delivered as planned to Wigan’s Cold Storage Ltd, where it was collected by courier James Mossman, 40, of Delaware Road, Kirkby.
Mossman – jailed for seven years and four months – collected two holdalls but abandoned them when he realised the drugs were gone.
Mr Baker said the gang, who had no idea the authorities were involved at this stage, met at the KFC restaurant at Aintree Retail Park.
Anthony Short, 42, of Croston, Lancashire, who bought the beef and was jailed for 22 years, was in regular contact with McDermott.
They thought the owner of Cold Storage might have stolen the stash and discussed threatening his family and burning down their home.
Mr Baker said the cocaine had a wholesale value of £19.5million but, if cut to street-level purity, would have been worth some £70million.
He said: “My understanding is it’s the largest seizure in the North West of this drug.”
McDermott admitted his role in the conspiracy on the basis he would receive 50kg of the drug.
Damien Nolan, defending, said his client only dealt with Short and was not at the top of the plot.
He said he had four children in the UK, who he brought up on his own.
Mr Nolan said McDermott also had a wife and two children in Ghana, the youngest of whom is six months old and he has never met.
The lawyer said hard-working McDermott “had a complete change in lifestyle” and had been involved with the church in Africa.
Mr Nolan added his client had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of Crohn’s Disease.
After McDermott’s arrest, the Daily Mirror revealed he had married Ramona Wampah, daughter of the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr Henry Kofi Wampah.
A source said: “He had what seemed to be an idyllic life, in a plush estate, having married into the Wampah family, in essence living like an African king.”
Mr Wampah denied knowing his sonin-law was a fugitive, saying he thought he was a mining worker.