Chris Lewis jailed

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

haven't seen anywhere else

 

ouch

 

Former England cricketer Chris Lewis was today jailed for 13 years for smuggling liquid cocaine valued at more than £140,000 into Britain hidden in fruit juice tins in his cricket bag.

 

His accomplice, Chad Kirnon, a 27-year-old former basketball player born in Montserrat, was given the same sentence. Both men had denied the charges.

 

Lewis, a Guyana-born cricketer once tipped as the next Ian Botham, was stopped at Gatwick airport at 5am on 8 December on return from St Lucia.

 

He was carrying a man's handbag and a cricket bag full of cans of fruit and vegetable juice. The five cans held a brownish liquid that smelt of chemicals and turned out to be dissolved cocaine. Evaporating off the liquid would have yielded 3.75kg of pure cocaine.

 

Customs officers found traces of cannabis in Lewis's suit carrier and on cigarette papers tucked into a paperback book.

 

Lewis, 41, played in 32 Tests and 53 one-day internationals for England from 1990. His professional career ended nine years ago, shortly after he made allegations that three England team mates had taken money for match fixing, a charge that was never substantiated.

 

He played county cricket for Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey before retiring in 2000 with a persistent hip problem, though he returned to Surrey last year for a Twenty20 tournament.

 

In his own defence during the trial, Lewis said he had no idea there was cocaine in the cans and he had not known it could be made into a liquid.

 

When stopped at Gatwick both men claimed to be travelling alone, but Kirnon's name was found written on the label of Lewis's bag. The prosecution said numerous other links between the pair proved it was a joint enterprise.

 

Kirnon – who had been stopped on the way into St Lucia and found to have £7,000 in cash – was also carrying cocaine. He claimed he bought his three tins of fruit juice at a shop in St Lucia and was bringing them back for his mother. He said he had been asked to check in some bags by Lewis, taking advantage of a facility at a local hotel rather than the airport. Lewis said at the trial that Kirnon had asked him to carry five cans because he was worried his luggage was overweight.

 

The court heard Lewis and Kirnon had known each other for a few years before planning the St Lucia trip over a game of pool. Since their arrest the two had fallen out, each blaming the other. Lewis claimed that while both were on remand at High Down prison in Surrey awaiting trial, Kirnon suggested he might shoulder the entire blame in return for £100,000.

 

Lewis admitted having smoked cannabis with Kirnon in St Lucia but insisted he had never tried cocaine, still less smuggled it.

 

the maths seem odd though - 140k divided by 3.75 = 37,333 per kilo divide that by 1,000 equals 37 quid per pure gram....

 

street stuff is about 23%

 

so it looks like the bizzies have a racket of their own

[ManxRed]

The bizzies always get better discount on da street. Its a well known fact, innit.

[Molby]

haven't seen anywhere else

 

ouch

 

 

 

the maths seem odd though - 140k divided by 3.75 = 37,333 per kilo divide that by 1,000 equals 37 quid per pure gram....

 

street stuff is about 23%

 

so it looks like the bizzies have a racket of their own

 

 

quelle surprise

 

btw street stuff is down to less than 10% and a K costs £60k at the moment

[Jonesy]

quelle surprise

 

btw street stuff is down to less than 10% and a K costs £60k at the moment

 

 

ketamine? it's a head-the-ball tackle is that. £60k for how much... a laboratorty's worth?? It's £15 a g round our way and top notch as well judging buy the look of the ket heads out on a Saturday night.

[Boca]

ketamine? it's a head-the-ball tackle is that. £60k for how much... a laboratorty's worth?? It's £15 a g round our way and top notch as well judging buy the look of the ket heads out on a Saturday night.

 

 

I'm no expert but I think it might be a kilo (k) of cocaine that Molby is on about.

[Molby]

I'm no expert but I think it might be a kilo (k) of cocaine that Molby is on about.

 

 

correct

[sutty]

G, when you arde buying it in kilos, you've a problem

[Boca]

G, when you arde buying it in kilos, you've a problem

 

 

Molby must be stocking up for a Tony Montana moment

[Jonesy]

I'm no expert but I think it might be a kilo (k) of cocaine that Molby is on about.

 

 

oops! that'll learn me to read things properly.....such a small word "a" and it means so much to the sentence!! I'll go and stand over here with the thick people in this corner.

 

feck me! 60 sheets a g before it's get trampled on....no fecking wonder it gets walked all over before it gets to consumer level. Where are those two t***s on a bike when you need them most...and don't mean the hairy bikers! Rouge Traders ...that's who!

[Molby]

oops! that'll learn me to read things properly.....such a small word "a" and it means so much to the sentence!! I'll go and stand over here with the thick people in this corner.

 

feck me! 60 sheets a g before it's get trampled on....no fecking wonder it gets walked all over before it gets to consumer level. Where are those two t***s on a bike when you need them most...and don't mean the hairy bikers! Rouge Traders ...that's who!

 

 

it's a fecking waste of time at the moment - all the pride's gone out the game

 

they blame it on seizures but I don't believe that 'cos those clowns catch 1 in 100 shipments

[ManxRed]

I'll go and stand over here with the thick people in this corner.

 

Welcome, Jonesy!!

[matty]

13 years? At £25,000 per year that's £325,000 to keep him in prison.

 

Fetch the noose!

[Herbie von Smalls]

13 years? At £25,000 per year that's £325,000 to keep him in prison.

 

Fetch the noose!

i think a bullet might be cheaper than rope these days.

[Dee]

i think a bullet might be cheaper than rope these days.

rope is reusable tho - so greener esp in this age of environmentally friendliness, we could also get all Machiavelli on it and suggest that in order to save the world and reduce pressures on resources etc we should kill off the murderers/rapists/evil-doers etc

 

a policy update from the green party follows this post

[carrafan]

Imagine losing 13 years of your life to make some extra money. Why do people pull such crap, however poor they are?

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

i think a bullet might be cheaper than rope these days.

cue the Baby P thread...

 

Imagine losing 13 years of your life to make some extra money. Why do people pull such crap, however poor they are?

not just that, but someone is down on 140k of Charlie & won't be best pleased

[fyds]

Lewis C.P._______c. Rozzer_______13

Edited May 21, 2009 by fyds

[Rimbeux]

That is one tough stretch, do you not get less for rape, killing, shooting and knifing people?

[Dee]

try 100hrs community service and a £1200 fine

[Rimbeux]

try 100hrs community service and a £1200 fine

 

 

tbh honest that is more what I thought the deal was for this kind of behaviour, more like a 5yr term, out in 2 job. But fair dues, the chances of getting caught have to backed up with a heavy price if they are serious about stopping trafficking

[muleskinner]

If he had admitted it and shown remorse (however false and looked to get into rehab) instead of the ludicrous defence he persisted with he would have got a lighter sentence.