Nicholas Corsellis, Simon Connolly and Elizabeth Dean have secured the acquittal of the main defendant charged with a conspiracy to supply over £11 million (4 tonnes) of cannabis.  The seizure was one of the largest in SOCA’s history. (Instructed by David Phillips and Partners, London) 

The defendant was alleged to have been involved in the organisation of the distribution of the cannabis just after it had been imported.  He was filmed unpacking the cannabis from a specially modified container, loading it onto a lorry and getting it ready to be delivered. 

He was found in possession of a mobile telephone with only one number saved on it and which had only just been activated.  He also had a list written in code, which demonstrated how the cannabis was to be split between customers.  He had been filmed meeting the intended recipients and was found with their van/truck keys on him.

Legal arguments included whether the SOCA officers had connived with each other to embellish their evidence that there was a pungent smell emanating from the packages, acquittals at previous trials and disclosure arguments as to participating informants.

The ultimate issue was the nature of the high end drug industry and whether it was plausible that the defendant(s) may have been used as an innocent dupe.

The defence were able, through painstaking analysis of the evidence relating to the importation, the CCTV and the secret observations to show that, in fact, the ultimate organisers, who had deduced that they were under observation, were in fact monitoring the SOCA officers themselves.

The defendant was first on the indictment and his team led the defence arguments.  All of the other defendants were acquitted too.

The case has not been named in this as others are to be tried in related proceedings.