Three men who are said to be members of a criminal group who used a Christian ministry to smuggle over 881 pounds of cannabis from Jamaica to the United Kingdom (UK) have been convicted.
They are 50-year-old Dalton Anderson, 45-year-old Alvin Russell, and 64-year-old Sinclair Tucker.
The men were charged with conspiracy to import Class B drugs (cannabis). Anderson was also charged with possession with intent to supply Class B drugs after 11 pounds of cannabis was discovered at his house after his arrest.
The men were convicted last week after a five-week trial in the Birmingham Crown Court, UK, and are expected to be sentenced on January 27, 2023.
Reports are that the three men were investigated after the Birmingham-based Vision Christian Ministries (VCM) was used to smuggle drugs, according to a statement from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
It is said that the substance would be valued at about £2 million if sold in the UK.
According to the statement, the cannabis was trafficked from Jamaica to the UK through Birmingham Airport and was packed into sealed tins of callaloo, a Jamaican green vegetable, and ackee.
The cannabis was then transported in three different consignments addressed to the religious group between March and May of 2017, and was later intercepted by the UK Border Force.
Anderson, Russell, and Tucker were held on May 23, 2017, at Birmingham Airport following a check of the third shipment that came from Jamaica.
“NCA investigators established that they organized the imports and collected the drugs from the airport,” the statement said.
It added: “Anderson and Russell also spent some time in Jamaica when the importations were made, handling money and providing shipping documentation to VCM via Tucker.”
According to the NCA, Anderson was convicted on Tuesday, November 29, at Birmingham Crown Court, while Russell and Tucker were found guilty the following day.
