Portsmouth port worker jailed for cocaine haul hidden in bananas

A port worker involved in importing what he thought was £118m worth of cocaine has been sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Michael Jordan, 45, from Portsmouth, worked at the city's docks and was on shift when 372 pallets of bananas arrived on a cargo vessel from Colombia.

The shipment was intercepted in the Netherlands where Dutch police found 1,477 kilos of cocaine which was then replaced with dummy packages.

When the boat arrived into Portsmouth in April 2022, National Crime Agency officers watched Jordan on CCTV separating pallets which he believed contained the drugs and moving them to a separate warehouse.

He then attempted to conceal the pallets among an unconnected consignment.

Jordan was convicted of conspiracy to import class A drugs after a three-week trial at Portsmouth Crown Court and sentenced on July 10.

NCA Branch Commander Matt McMillan said: "Michael Jordan was part of a criminal conspiracy to import a large quantity of cocaine through the UK border.

"He used his insider knowledge as a port worker to make money from the cocaine trade, which fuels violence and exploitation on our streets.

"The NCA worked closely with the port operator, international partners, and West Midlands Police to dismantle this organised crime group and protect the public."

An accomplice of Jordan, David Oliver, 45, from Fratton was sentenced to 14 years and another man from Turkey has been jailed for 13 years.

Four other were convicted by West Midlands Police and are awaiting sentence.

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