Three Cocaine Mules Busted at Gatwick with £50K Shipment
Three women tried to smuggle nearly a kilo of cocaine worth around £50,000 into the UK on the same flight – but their plans came crashing down at Gatwick Airport.
Flight from Jamaica Ends in Jail
On 11 November 2020, Catara Mattie, 20, from Eccles, Greater Manchester, along with Shantori Daniels, 23, and Shaliquah Talbot, 27, both from Birmingham, arrived from Kingston, Jamaica. Border Force officers searched them and found they were carrying cocaine concealed inside their bodies.
Conflicting Stories Fail to Save Them
The National Crime Agency questioned the trio. Mattie admitted she was paid to smuggle the drugs. Daniels and Talbot claimed men they met in bars or restaurants gave them the cocaine. All three pleaded guilty to importing class A drugs.
Jail Sentences Delivered
- Shantori Daniels was jailed for 32 months on 9 December 2020.
- Catara Mattie received a three-year prison sentence.
- Shaliquah Talbot was sentenced to 32 months on 7 January 2021.
Mark McCormack, NCA Gatwick Branch Commander, said: “These young women had their whole lives ahead of them, instead they chose to risk their immediate futures in pursuit of money, and will now have to live with the consequences.”
“Their stories should be a stark reminder to those who would attempt to do the same – it simply isn’t worth the risk.”
“Organised crime groups need couriers like these women to bring their illicit commodities into the UK. Working with our partners across law enforcement, we are determined to do all we can to stop them and target the criminal networks involved in international drug trafficking.”
