Peter Bennett enlisted the services of a corrupt dock worker to sneak drugs through Port of Liverpool
A grandad became embroiled in plots to traffic nearly 400kg of cocaine into the UK from the Netherlands and Brazil.
In return, Bennett organised for a driver to receive the consignment. This included providing a burner phone for his recruit before "taking the blower off him" afterwards. The 39-year-old, of Downside Close in Netherton, was described as the "pull out man" and was said to have been involved in a previous importation of 150kg of the class A substance through his employment with Peel Ports. Bennett told the user "SinCityGold" in one message on April 26: "They done one a few months ago, 150 on it."
Full Flock and Bennett also discussed potential importation routes from Ecuador and Costa Rica, while McQuade advised his co-defendant over the "best containers to use to avoid the consignment being intercepted by the port authorities". The dad-of-two told him: "Fridges are defo the hardest. McQuade outlined how they could claim that the containers had been damaged in order to gain access to the goods inside in private. Then, on May 20, Murphy "alerted Bennett to a potential issue regarding the box".
As part of this arrangement, Bennett was to keep 10kg for onward supply and was said to have handed over £97,000 in payment for these drugs. The messages ended on June 5 2020, when Full Flock told Bennett he was "waiting to hear from Brazil, who had told him they would load tonight". These were then taken to the home of Dale Campbell on Hillside Drive in Woolton and unloaded. There, the barrels were cut open and had their contents removed.
Bennett was arrested on October 3 2021, with McQuade being detained on November 2 the same year. Both gave no comment under interview. "The stake and interest, we say, is actually 12kg. It does give a different approach than if this was a 400kg conspiracy. "He did not have many opportunities presented to him growing up. He had a very poor background and difficult circumstances.
"It is surprising and complex that he has ended up in this position before the court now. Mr Bennett knows he only has himself to blame. "This defendant was not the only man working at the docks who was involved in this. There is evidence of others doing more or less the same thing. At the time, he was gambling. He had a problem.
Crime Huyton Netherton Fazakerley Woolton Litherland
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