Heavy Sentences

[aussielong]

BBC News - Men jailed for Heathrow Airport cocaine smuggle attempt

Rouse was jailed for 13 years, while Mark Oliver, of Poplar Road, Ashford, was jailed for 19 years, his brother Charles Oliver, of Clare Road, Staines, was jailed for 12 years.

Malcolm Bax, of Clandon Avenue, Egham, who was a supervisor at an airport baggage unit, was jailed for 15 years.

Andrew Robinson, an unemployed man, of Worple Avenue, Staines, was jailed for 13 years.

Michael Hopkins, who is unemployed, of De Havilland Way, Staines, was jailed for nine years while Anthony Cenci, a baggage handler of Bower Way, Cippenham, Slough, was jailed for 10 years.

19 years seems a bit severe!

[AtW]

19 years seems a bit severe!

Read the small print in the judgement - it was either 19 years or being sent to Australia...

[CheeseSlice]

19 years seems a bit severe!

Why?

Should we give them a slap on the wrist or 6 months community service?
Those that seek to profit from destroying the lives of so many should be sent a very clear message that we don't tolerate drug smuggling in the UK.

Under the laws of some countries these guys would have been executed.

[Clippy]

BBC News - Men jailed for Heathrow Airport cocaine smuggle attempt



19 years seems a bit severe!

If you are going to quote the sentencing then at least quote the crime to give it some perspective.

Seven men have been jailed for a bid to smuggle cocaine with a street value of £4.5m through Heathrow Airport.

The men were part of a gang which hired baggage workers to help smuggle 12kg of cocaine from Brazil in September 2009.

Seems about right for importation.

[d000hg]

In my view, it's fine even that something like this can have a longer sentence than murder. It's totally planned and executed knowing full well what you're doing, unlike murder which can be done in an instant without thinking properly.

[AtW]

[QUOTE=d000hg;1255683unlike murder which can be done in an instant without thinking properly.[/QUOTE]

That would be manslaughter.

HTH

[Doggy Styles]

That would be manslaughter.

HTH

Not necessarily.

[d000hg]

That would be manslaughter.

HTH

I don't think so. In the heat of the moment you can attack someone and kill them, and in that moment you WANT to kill them, that's murder innit? Even for manslaughter though, you can throw a punch and the guy cracks their head on the fireplace and snuffs it.

[Freamon]

Should we give them a slap on the wrist or 6 months community service?
Those that seek to profit from destroying the lives of so many should be sent a very clear message that we don't tolerate drug smuggling in the UK.

Or, at least, we don't tolerate the proles threatening the monopoly of the police and MI6.

[MrMark]

I agree, it does sound severe for importing an illegal substance. Is cocaine definitely more dangerous than alcohol? Are all the posters here squeaky-clean souls who've never sampled an illegal substance?