Pair jailed for trying to smuggle £1.75m of cocaine into Heathrow

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The defendants were two couriers who were recruited into and played their part in a criminal enterprise to import 22kg of cocaine into the United Kingdom from Colombia Prosecutor John Ojakovoh Parts of the planned handover had been organised through the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat, on which they were instructed to dress in specific clothing and pose as a couple by holding hands on arrival for identification purposes. Prosecutor John Ojakovoh said: “The defendants were two couriers who were recruited into and played their part in a criminal enterprise to import 22kg of cocaine into the United Kingdom from Colombia. “Jessica Waldron and Michael Williams had arrived in a prepared way wearing clothes they had been photographed in for identification purposes and held hands as if they were a couple – as they were instructed to do via an EncroChat message they received as they arrived,” Mr Ojakovoh said. “You did this with the expectation of financial advantage.” NCA Heathrow operations manager Darren Barr said: “Organised crime groups need couriers like Waldron and Williams for their business model to function.