Overview

• Canterbury Crown Court handed the 23-year-old Liverpool man a 19-year sentence on September 26 after he admitted four counts of importing Class A and B drugs.
• Border Force intercepted two freight lorries at Dover on July 3 and August 12, 2022 carrying a combined 307kg of narcotics, with part of the load concealed in a modified fuel tank.
• Investigators reported Burton’s fingerprints and DNA on both drug consignments and on the adapted tank, directly linking him to the smuggling attempts.
• Spanish police arrested Burton at Ibiza’s Pacha nightclub in August 2023, and he was extradited via Germany before being returned to the UK in March 2024.
• Ex-partner Sian Banks pleaded guilty to seven offences including importing Class A drugs and money laundering, received five years, and was described by the NCA as the UK-based facilitator who also carried drugs in her luggage.