The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Major drug smuggler jailed after 10-year case
Man imported £100m of cocaine and cannabis into UK
A drug gang boss has been handed a 32-year jail term for his part in a plot which saw cannabis and cocaine worth around £100 million smuggled into England and Ireland.
James Mulvey enjoyed a lavish lifestyle – acquiring a €1.4 million villa in Marbella in southern Spain – while acting as the “linchpin” of the international import and export operation, Birmingham Crown Court was told.
Jurors convicted Mulvey of four conspiracy charges after hearing how the
“We will never stop pursuing serious criminals like Mulvey”
42-year-old, originally from Solihull in the West Midlands, was arrested in Lithuania in 2017.
His trial heard that a haul of 22kg of cocaine and 392kg of cannabis was intercepted in Belgium in February 2007, hidden inside metal rollers.
Mulvey oversaw the use of bogus haulage businesses to import the drug and “industrial-scale” quantities of cannabis from Holland to Ireland via the UK during 2006 and 2007.
Passing sentence on Mulvey, Judge Mark Wall QC said inquiries into the seizure in Belgium had identified 14 previous trips made as part of the conspiracy, during which up to 5,475kg of cannabis and 300kg of cocaine was smuggled.
In a statement issued after Mulvey was jailed, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said he was brought to justice despite using unregistered pay-as-yougo sim cards, which he changed as often as weekly.
NCA investigators identified a UK number and two Spanish numbers which were central to the conspiracies, which were linked to Mulvey.
Investigators also obtained recordings in which Mulvey hinted at his connections and standing within the criminal underworld, following the murder of his cousin, Irish national Gerard Kavanagh, in Spain in 2014.
After the 10-week trial, Adam Warnock, NCA Birmingham Branch Commander, said: “We will never stop pursuing serious criminals like Mulvey and work with our international partners to ensure we track them down and bring them to justice.
“Our investigation into Mulvey and the proceeds of his crimes continues.”
Five other defendants were jailed for a total of 86 years int 2009 after initial inquiries into the plot.