Straight A Student’s Love of Lifestyle Leads to Prison Sentence

Sian Banks was a bright student at a top university. Her boyfriend, Eddie Burton, drew her into crime, and she became involved in drug trafficking. Fingerprints linked her to a ketamine shipment at Dover. Police found messages with Burton on her phone, revealing their partnership. She smuggled cocaine and ketamine via Liverpool Airport. Banks helped him finance his life while he was hiding in Europe.

The judge said Sian loved Burton and his lifestyle. They had been together since at least November 2020. Police found drugs at their home on Warbreck Road. Burton got arrested for a drug dealing operation in 2021 and carried a knife and drugs there. Instead of court, he fled the UK and went to Europe.

Burton got caught in Germany with drugs, then he ran from the law again, going to Spain. Sian visited him often. She was taken by Burton and the money. Someone who knew her said she liked men with money, while another person said Sian liked foreign trips and nights out, but people were still shocked by her crimes.

Burton moved to Amsterdam in May 2022. He told Sian he needed a vacuum packer to pack drugs to send into the UK, saying he wanted to pack “tops,” slang for cocaine. Sian visited him there in June 2022. Burton said he would be busy with “135 bits,” and her “wowza” showed she knew his meaning.

They joked about their dog chewing drug bags. A lorry with drugs started its journey soon after her visit. Sian told a friend Burton needed to pay someone back. She said his monthly earnings equaled her yearly salary. Officers stopped the lorry at Dover in July 2022 and found cocaine and ketamine valued over £6.5 million.

Burton’s DNA was on a drug packet. He told Sian the lorry got stopped, and she worried her fingerprints would be on the bags. Burton said her prints were not on file because of no arrests. Sian asked for money, complaining about her low income, yet Burton was earning a lot but refused to give her any.

A second lorry left for Dover in August, but only Burton’s DNA was found. Messages showed Sian smuggled drugs in her luggage. She complained that cocaine made the ketamine stink. She feared police at the airport but got through, having smuggled drugs before for someone named Callum.

Burton worried police watched him and wanted to move everything. Sian visited in September and October. Burton said he still owed money due to bad packing. He discussed turning himself in, but did not, and he moved to Spain for more work.

Police arrested Burton in Ibiza, where he gave a fake name. They checked Sian’s bank accounts, and between 2020 and 2024, she got £42,848 in unexplained funds. In 2022 and 2023, she got £18,500. Funds covered spending and payments to others in Spain. Police said she sent money to Burton for his life while hiding.

Police arrested Sian on December 19, 2023, suspecting her of helping an offender. They found a letter from Burton in prison, discussing extraditing him from Spain. He got a suspended sentence in Germany, where a friend took responsibility for drugs there.

Police reviewed Sian’s messages which revealed her and Burton’s involvement. She was again arrested in April, suspected of drugs importation and fraud. She stayed silent during questioning.

Drugs were found in a lorry because of Burton and Sian. Sian admitted her offenses on the first day of the trial. Burton admitted importing drugs after being brought back to the UK, but his sentencing was paused after he claimed coercion. The judge needed to check if slavery concerns were valid.

Burton said he lied, fearing cross-examination and revealing names. He will be sentenced later after submitting a new plea. The judge sentenced Sian, believing Burton was in the gang just for money. She loved Burton and the life they led. They both entered serious cross-border crime.

The judge stated her fingerprints were on the drug packages, which meant a lot of ketamine. She helped by laundering money as well. The court heard Sian earned more qualifications in prison. Character letters showed a “different side” to her said her lawyer.

Her lawyer stated she made her own mess. The judge sentenced Sian to five years for drug and money offenses. He wished her well before she went to prison. Sian will probably serve her sentence at HMP Styal.

The NCA said Burton and Sian smuggled drugs. They thought they could act without consequences while overseas. Banks played a key role, laundering profits and acting as the UK facilitator. The drugs could have hurt communities through exploitation.