by Annette Wilson

A man has been jailed for 20 years for his role in smuggling heroin and cocaine worth £4.5m into Dover.

Customs arrested a motorist last September after finding three suitcases packed with 100kg of powder in the vehicle of which 41.98kg was pure heroin and 7.98kg cocaine. The driver, Stephen McNamee was arrested and jailed for eight years in December by Canterbury Crown Court after he admitted smuggling.

In January this year officers arrested Simon Madu, his prints having been found on the drug wrappings. He went on trial at the same court earlier in July and on Wednesday was told by Judge Adele Williams she had no doubt he was involved in the organisation behind the massive importation which she said was one of the largest the court had to deal with.

Madu, 33, was arrested in Liverpool where he had an address at Wordsworth Street, and said he didn't know McNamee and had no idea how his prints came to be on the drug wrappings.

He told officers he was not doing anything for a living at the time, but living on money his father had left him. He agreed he had been to Malaga in August last year to recover his girlfriend's car, which had been in an accident, and had gone to Thailand in December on holiday.

Madu had been paying over 2000 euros in monthly rent and used a number of different cars registered to him or hire cars and was involved with numerous mobile phones.

Michael Hall, for Madu, at his sentencing said Madu's role was as a middle man fixer and packer and asked the court to accept he was only just higher in the organisation than McNamee.

Jailing Madu, Judge Williams said he had been convicted on clear and compelling evidence. "Having seen and heard you give evidence and heard other evidence, I have no doubt you were involved in the organisation behind this importation."