Latest news with #KristopherPurvis
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
£5m cocaine ‘sombrero' drugs trafficker wins appeal against his sentence
He had a large black suitcase and was also carrying a bag with four multi-coloured sombreros A DRUG smuggler who was caught with more than £5 million worth of cocaine after claiming that all he brought back from Mexico was four sombreros has won an appeal against his jail sentence. Kristopher Purvis was stopped by a Border Force officer in the 'nothing to declare' customs channel at Edinburgh airport with a friend and a haul of 45 kilos of the Class A drug was recovered. Advertisement 1 Kristopher Purvis was stopped by a Border Force officer in the 'nothing to declare' customs channel at Edinburgh airport. Purvis, 35, was jailed for 10 years in April this year after admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine and being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of the ban on importing controlled drugs on July 24 last year at the airport. But lawyers acting for the drug smuggler challenged the sentence imposed on him before criminal appeal judges in Edinburgh claiming that the penalty imposed on him was excessive. Lady Wise, who heard the appeal with Lord Doherty, said: 'In the whole circumstances we consider that a sentence of eight years and six months was appropriate.' She said they would allow the appeal and quash the ten-year jail term imposed by Lord Summers and substitute imprisonment for eight and a half years. Advertisement Lord Summers selected a starting point for his sentence as 15 years but then reduced it by a third as he said Purvis pled guilty at the earliest opportunity. The appeal judges said the headline sentence should have been lower but disagreed that the plea came at the earliest possible time. Purvis, of Mann Crescent, Murton, in County Durham, tendered his guilty pleas to the charge in March this year at the High Court in Edinburgh. The court heard that he arrived at Edinburgh airport after flying from Mexico via Paris before he was stopped. Advertisement He and his companion each had a large black suitcase and Purvis was also carrying a bag with four multi-coloured sombreros. Prosecutor Brian Gill KC told the court: 'He said that the only thing that he had acquired in Mexico was the sombreros.' GREEN MACHINE Watch dramatic moment sledgehammer-wielding GRINCH busts door of drug gang hideout to round up criminals in Xmas raid But a search of the cases found 15 vacuum-sealed packages covered in mustard to put off sniffer dogs, with each package containing three kilos of cocaine. The maximum street value of the drugs was in excess of pounds 5.6 million. Advertisement Purvis was told he was going to be questioned and responded: 'It's all mine, my mate has nothing to do with it. I put it in his case.' He was arrested and replied: 'Yeah, alright I understand. I'm useless and f***ing stupid and I'm f***ed anyway.' The court heard that Purvis stood to have a pounds 5000 debt wiped out and to be paid pounds 20,000 to bring the drugs into the UK. Defence solicitor advocate Simon Collins argued that the sentence imposed on the first offender was excessive and said he had 'a limited involvement' in what would have been a very lucrative transaction for others with more significant roles in the drugs trade.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Edinburgh Airport cocaine mule wins sentence appeal
A man caught smuggling £5m of cocaine from Mexico at Edinburgh Airport has successfully appealed his Purvis was carrying 45kg (99lbs) of the Class-A drug when he was stopped by a Border Force officer in July last 35-year-old, who claimed he had only brought back four sombreros, was jailed for 10 years in April after admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine and in the fraudulent evasion of importing controlled lawyers challenged the sentence as excessive and judges have now agreed eight years and six months would be "appropriate". Lord Summers selected a starting point for his sentence as 15 years but then reduced it by a third as he said Purvis pled guilty at the earliest judges Lady Wise and Lord Doherty said the headline sentence should have been lower but disagreed that the plea came at the earliest possible of Mann Crescent, Murton, in County Durham, tendered his guilty pleas to the charge in March this year at the High Court in court heard that he arrived at Edinburgh Airport after flying from Mexico via Paris before he was stopped. He and his companion each had a large black suitcase and Purvis was also carrying a bag with four multi-coloured Brian Gill KC told the court: "He said that the only thing that he had acquired in Mexico was the sombreros."A search of the cases found 15 vacuum-sealed packages covered in mustard to put off sniffer dogs. The maximum street value of the drugs was in excess of £ was told he was going to be questioned and responded: "It's all mine, my mate has nothing to do with it. I put it in his case." The court heard that Purvis stood to have a £5,000 debt wiped out and to be paid £20,000 to bring the drugs into the solicitor advocate Simon Collins argued that the sentence imposed on the first offender was excessive and said he had "a limited involvement" in what would have been a very lucrative transaction for others with more significant roles in the drugs trade.
Daily Record
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Smuggler who claimed £5m coke haul was sombreros has jail sentence cut
Border Force stopped Kristopher Purvis in Edinburgh Airport's "nothing to declare" customs channel when he claimed all he brought back from Mexico was four sombreros. A drug smuggler who was caught with more than £5 million worth of cocaine after claiming that all he brought back from Mexico was four sombreros has won an appeal against his jail sentence. Kristopher Purvis was stopped by a Border Force officer in the "nothing to declare" customs channel at Edinburgh Airport with a friend and a haul of 45 kilos of the Class A drug was recovered. Purvis, 35, was jailed for 10 years in April this year after admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine and being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of the ban on importing controlled drugs on July 24 last year at the airport. But lawyers acting for the drug smuggler challenged the sentence imposed on him before criminal appeal judges in Edinburgh claiming that the penalty imposed on him was excessive. Lady Wise, who heard the appeal with Lord Doherty, said: "In the whole circumstances we consider that a sentence of eight years and six months was appropriate." She said they would allow the appeal and quash the ten year jail term imposed by Lord Summers and substitute imprisonment for eight and a half years. Lord Summers selected a starting point for his sentence as 15 years but then reduced it by a third as he said Purvis pled guilty at the earliest opportunity. The appeal judges said the headline sentence should have been lower but disagreed that the plea came at the earliest possible time. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Purvis, of Mann Crescent, Murton, in County Durham, tendered his guilty pleas to the charge in March this year at the High Court in Edinburgh. The court heard that he arrived at Edinburgh airport after flying from Mexico via Paris before he was stopped. He and his companion each had a large black suitcase and Purvis was also carrying a bag with four multi-coloured sombreros. Prosecutor Brian Gill KC told the court: "He said that the only thing that he had acquired in Mexico was the sombreros." But a search of the cases found 15 vacuum sealed packages covered in mustard to put off sniffer dogs, with each package containing three kilos of cocaine. The maximum street value of the drugs was in excess of pounds 5.6 million. Purvis was told he was going to be questioned and responded: "It's all mine, my mate has nothing to do with it. I put it in his case." He was arrested and replied: "Yeah, alright I understand. I'm useless and f---ing stupid and I'm f---ed anyway." The court heard that Purvis stood to have a pounds 5000 debt wiped out and to be paid pounds 20,000 to bring the drugs into the UK. Defence solicitor advocate Simon Collins argued that the sentence imposed on the first offender was excessive and said he had "a limited involvement" in what would have been a very lucrative transaction for others with more significant roles in the drugs trade.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Smuggler caught with 100lb of cocaine claimed he only had sombreros
A drug smuggler who was caught with 100lb (48kg) of cocaine from Mexico in his luggage told officers he was only carrying sombreros. Kristopher Purvis posed as 'an innocuous tourist' when attempting to bring drugs with a street value of £5.64 million into the UK. The 35-year-old, from Durham, was stopped by Border Force Officers at Edinburgh airport while carrying a black suitcase and a bag filled with Mexican sombrero hats. When questioned, he told officers that the hats were the only things he had brought home with him from his visit to Mexico City. It later emerged that Purvis was being used as a mule by international drug traffickers and the cocaine was found in his suitcase. Police described it as a 'substantial attempt to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland'. Purvis pleaded guilty to the importation and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs at Edinburgh's High Court on March 4. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday. A trial date of Nov 10 has been set for a second suspected drug smuggler who was arrested at the time and pleaded not guilty to the same charges. Donnie Lawrie, from the National Crime Agency, said: 'Kristopher Purvis attempted to appear like an innocuous tourist and claimed to only be carrying sombrero souvenirs. 'The truth was, the luggage he was carrying contained millions of pounds worth of drugs. 'Purvis was used as a mule for the criminals keen to increase their profits when selling drugs on the streets of the UK. 'The NCA continues to work closely with UK Border Force, police forces and other law enforcement partners throughout the world to reduce the supply of class A drugs intended for the UK market.' Det Chief Insp Laura Sands of Police Scotland, said: 'This conviction and sentencing serves as yet another example of our ongoing commitment to target the supply and distribution of controlled drugs across Scotland, which remains an absolute priority for the Organised Crime Partnership and its partners. 'This intervention and subsequent detection disrupted an attempt to bring a significant volume of class A controlled drugs into the country. 'I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that information from our local communities is an essential part of our investigation, as we work to disrupt the drugs trade and work with our partners to bring those responsible to justice.' Moira Orr, who leads on major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), added: 'This was a substantial attempt to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland. 'Kristopher Purvis has now been held accountable thanks to an extensive OCP Scotland and Border Force operation, working with COPFS, to investigate a network of drug supply. 'With each case of this kind we can help reduce the harm that these drugs inflict on communities.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
16-04-2025
- Telegraph
Smuggler caught with 100lb of cocaine claimed he only had sombreros
A drug smuggler who was caught with 100lb (48kg) of cocaine from Mexico in his luggage told officers he was only carrying sombreros. Kristopher Purvis posed as 'an innocuous tourist' when attempting to bring drugs with a street value of £5.64 million into the UK. The 35-year-old, from Durham, was stopped by Border Force Officers at Edinburgh airport while carrying a black suitcase and a bag filled with Mexican sombrero hats. When questioned, he told officers that the hats were the only things he had brought home with him from his visit to Mexico City. It later emerged that Purvis was being used as a mule by international drug traffickers and the cocaine was found in his suitcase. Police described it as a 'substantial attempt to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland'. Purvis pleaded guilty to the importation and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs at Edinburgh's High Court on March 4. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday. A trial date of Nov 10 has been set for a second suspected drug smuggler who was arrested at the time and pleaded not guilty to the same charges. Donnie Lawrie, from the National Crime Agency, said: 'Kristopher Purvis attempted to appear like an innocuous tourist and claimed to only be carrying sombrero souvenirs. 'The truth was, the luggage he was carrying contained millions of pounds worth of drugs. 'Purvis was used as a mule for the criminals keen to increase their profits when selling drugs on the streets of the UK. 'The NCA continues to work closely with UK Border Force, police forces and other law enforcement partners throughout the world to reduce the supply of class A drugs intended for the UK market.' Det Chief Insp Laura Sands of Police Scotland, said: 'This conviction and sentencing serves as yet another example of our ongoing commitment to target the supply and distribution of controlled drugs across Scotland, which remains an absolute priority for the Organised Crime Partnership and its partners. 'This intervention and subsequent detection disrupted an attempt to bring a significant volume of class A controlled drugs into the country. 'I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that information from our local communities is an essential part of our investigation, as we work to disrupt the drugs trade and work with our partners to bring those responsible to justice.' Moira Orr, who leads on major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), added: 'This was a substantial attempt to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland. 'Kristopher Purvis has now been held accountable thanks to an extensive OCP Scotland and Border Force operation, working with COPFS, to investigate a network of drug supply. 'With each case of this kind we can help reduce the harm that these drugs inflict on communities.'
