One of the men accused of Stephen Lawrence’s murder faces jail over £4m cannabis smuggling ring
Neil Acourt, 40, faces up to seven years in prison after admitting running a gang that couriered 200lb loads of the Class B drug between London and Newcastle
ONE of the men arrested over Stephen Lawrence's murder has admitted he is behind a £4m cannabis smuggling ring.
Neil Acourt, 40, now faces up to seven years behind bars after making the admission about a gang which couriered 200lb loads of the drug between London and Newcastle.
He and his brother Jamie, were part of the group of five arrested over the murder of the 18-year-old in 1993. He was never convicted.
The reported that Acourt, his father-in-law Jack Vose, 62, and five others ran the drugs operation throughout the UK between January 2014 and February this year.
The prosecution told Kingston Crown Court Acourt, who now used his mother's maiden name to keep a low profile after his arrest over the well known murder, was the gang's ringleader.
The court heard the couriers made at least 20 trips between January 2014 and March 2015.
RELATED STORIES
Police had discovered that the gang were making the trips as often as three times a month.
They kept the operation covert by passing over the drugs packed into the shape of a football, while getting plastic bags full of cash in return.
At a previous hearing, Acourt and Vose pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to supply the Class B drug. Gang members Lee Birks, 54, Paul Beavers, 48, Daniel Thompson, 27, James Botton, 44, and Darren Woods, 42, also pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis resin, or hashish.
Acourt was 16 when Stephen Lawrence was killed as he waited for a bus in Eltham, south east London.
Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted of his murder in 2012 and jailed for life.
At the time of the 18-year-old's death, the Acourts were said to described themselves as the Krays - the notorious brothers who ran London's criminal underbelly.
Acourt and the other gang members of the drugs ring are due to be sentenced on November 21.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368.