A British drugs kingpin has been jailed over a plot to smuggle 1.3 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of 240 million euro (£216m) into France.
The 46-year-old, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, was convicted of drug trafficking offences after the cocaine was found stashed in 20 suitcases on an Air France flight from Venezuela to Paris in 2013.
Dawes, who denied the charges, was heard in secret recordings bragging to a member of a Colombian cartel about his involvement in smuggling the drugs from Venezuela’s capital Caracas.
His network was said to span Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia, using corruption, violence and intimidation to exert control, while his associates are suspected of shootings and murders in the UK and abroad.
He was extradited to France shortly after his arrest and tried by five judges who ordered him and four accomplices to pay a 30 million euro (£27m) fine.
In his final statement at the Paris court hearing on Friday, Dawes said: “I continue to claim my innocence.”
He told the court his claims in the video were “just a made-up story” intended to provoke the police into arresting him so that he could prove his innocence.
Following his conviction, Dawes was told he would have to serve at least 15 years without the chance of parole.
Venezuelan police arrested 25 people, including members of the military and an Air France manager, over the incident.
After Dawes’ sentencing, NCA deputy director Matt Horne said: “Dawes was one of the most significant organised criminals in Europe with a network that literally spanned the globe.
“Dawes was prepared to use extreme levels of violence in order to further his reputation and take retribution against those who crossed him.
“Members or associates of his criminal group are known to have been involved in intimidation, shootings and murders.”
