Eddie Burton admits lying in his letter to the judge, delaying sentencing for drug smuggling with Sian Banks.
Eddie packed drugs in Amsterdam. Vacuum sealing kept over 300kg fresh, including Class A and B substances. He was a highly experienced supplier, with past convictions starting at age fifteen. He fled the UK after a drug line charge.
He reportedly joined the drug plot to pay “Chog.” He made £20,000-£30,000 monthly for his role in the drug operation. His actions involved a vacuum packing machine in an Amsterdam apartment.
Eddie’s partner, Sian Banks, age 25, got involved because she liked Burton and his luxurious life. She helped package ketamine for a lorry and smuggled drugs through Liverpool John Lennon airport.
Eddie and Sian were in court for sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court. Burton claimed he was forced abroad to repay debt and submitted a letter to the judge.
Burton wrote that family threats occurred. The judge noticed potential modern slavery hints and felt they needed to investigate it more, as modern slavery claims are often complex cases.
Burton’s lawyer said he was coerced but that it was not quite modern slavery. The judge thought this changed his plea and showed a smaller role in the crime. Burton didn’t want to be questioned and refused to give names.
The prosecutor stated Burton got paid a lot and was also paying off a debt, adding that Burton played a key role. Judge Taylor wanted a new plea statement. Burton then said he should be sentenced and admitted he lied in his letter, so the judge delayed his sentencing.
Banks’ lawyer thought she should be sentenced, believing Burton trafficked for profit. The judge agreed to deal with her case. The prosecutor stated this case involved drug smuggling. Eddie and Sian were partners, and they were both from Liverpool.
Burton was already a convicted drug supplier and pleaded guilty to drug smuggling this time. He fled the UK after an arrest in 2021 and kept doing drug business in Europe, moving between Holland, Germany, and Spain.
He helped smuggle drugs into the UK via lorries through Dover. The drugs were found to be 192 kg of cocaine, 25 kg of heroin, and 90 kg of ketamine. Sian’s DNA was on the drug packaging, and she often traveled to see Burton.
Sian smuggled drugs in her luggage on two separate occasions using Liverpool airport. She also let Burton use her bank accounts illegally while he was on the run. She provided fake COVID passes for travel.
Burton was arrested in Europe for drug trafficking on March 29, 2022. He then moved to Spain. Later, he told Sian he would get a machine for vacuum packing drugs in Amsterdam.
Messages revealed Sian knew about the drug packing. “Tops” meant cocaine in their code, and the flat was found in Amsterdam. They kept their dog, Marley, at the flat. Sian visited the flat in June 2022; Burton said he was busy with “135 bits,” and Sian’s reaction showed she knew the meaning.
Sian visited again later that month. Soon after, the lorry full of drugs left. Sian told a friend Burton paid “Chog” back, and that Burton made a year’s wages in one month. Border Force stopped the lorry at Dover on July 3.
They found cocaine and ketamine with a street value of over £6.5 million. Burton’s DNA was on a drug packet, and messages showed they smuggled drugs for “Jota.” Burton told Sian the lorry was stopped, and she worried about her fingerprints.
Burton said her prints weren’t on file and thought his prints were safe because he wore gloves. Sian asked for money after this incident and complained about her low income, as Burton made so much more money so quickly.
Sian went to Amsterdam again in August, and a second lorry then left Poland. Border Force found drugs in a fuel tank, cocaine, and heroin with a street value of about £12.7 million. Burton’s fingerprints and DNA matched.
Sian also smuggled drugs through Liverpool airport. She worried the cocaine smelled too strong. Around that time, Burton thought he was being watched and told “Chog,” who told him to move the operation.
Sian visited again in the fall. Burton said his debt rose because of packing errors. He had paid off £50,000. Burton seemed unhappy and wished to surrender but changed his mind about a German jail.
Burton moved to Spain to get new work and was arrested in Pacha nightclub in Ibiza. He gave a false name and was bailed. Bank records showed Sian got unexplained deposits totaling almost £43,000 in two years.
Sian sent money to Burton, who was on the run, and was arrested for helping an offender. She also faced money laundering charges. Police searched her house and found a letter from Burton written in an Alicante prison.
The letter described his extradition from Spain to Germany. He got a suspended term for drug possession at the Germany/Austria border and was then returned to the UK. Sian was arrested for drug importation, charged with six offenses, and pleaded guilty before her trial.
Burton pleaded guilty to importing drugs and will be sentenced next month after he presents his new statement. He will also be sentenced in the previous Oswestry case from March 2023.
Sian got five years in prison. The judge said they both got into crime together and wished her well for the future. An NCA commander commented on the convictions, noting that Burton and Sian smuggled harmful drugs.
They thought they could operate overseas with impunity. Sian helped them launder money and facilitate the UK drug imports. These drugs would have devastated communities, fueled violence, and exploited the vulnerable.