Overview
- At Bolton Crown Court, Judge Abigail Hudson sentenced Elton Hallaci to 21 years 7 months, Artur Iserberi to 18 years, and Dale Creen to 11 years after an NCA investigation linked them to imports worth £65m on the street.
- Another defendant, Dale Hosker, pleaded guilty and is due back in court on June 1 for sentencing.
- Prosecutors said US couriers flew in without luggage, took suitcases from Cancun flights on instruction from a handler called “Nate,” then met traffickers at the airport’s Holiday Inn to hand over the bags.
- The operation unraveled after Border Force opened an abandoned case holding 20 one‑kilogram blocks of cocaine, with later seizures finding 22–24 blocks per suitcase and tracking devices, plus ledgers in Albanian and Jaguars with hidden compartments.
- Court evidence pointed to at least 800kg of high‑purity cocaine moved into UK supply lines reaching Bradford, London, and Birmingham, and the Albanian defendants are expected to be deported after serving their prison terms.