Internet drug rap couple face 98 years in US jail

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MrMoss

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May 4 2008 By David Taylor

Exclusive Accused Of Supplying A £40m Internet Drugs Network, Brian And Kerry Ann Howes Face Extradition To The Usa And The Chance They May Never See Their Four Kids Again

A COUPLE accused of masterminding a £40million internet drugs ring have been told they face 98 YEARS in a US prison.

Brian and Kerry Ann Howes are set to be extradited after raids on their warehouse in Grangemouth by the US Drug Enforcement Agency and police.

Last week the Howes, who face a total of 80 charges, admitted exporting chemicals but claim they did not know they were being used to make highly addictive crystal meth.

They are now preparing for the worst - a life sentence that would separate them from their four young daughters.

Brian said: "We've been told all the charges add up to a possible 98 years.

"The indictment states that selling red phosphorus is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and selling iodine crystals can get you 10 years. Even if it was proven that we didn't sell those two chemicals deliberately for manufacturing meth, we could still face 68 years in jail."

American prosecutors allege the Howes were involved in a £40million drugs ring but the couple, who ran Lab Chemicals International in Bo'ness, West Lothian, say it is a legitimate business, mostly supplying chemicals to make fireworks.

The Howes were targeted in a sting by undercover US officers posing as buyers wanting to order red phosphorous and iodine crystals.

Both chemicals are legal in the UK but strictly regulated in America.

In one email, an undercover investigator wrote: "That last red you sent was some hot s**t...causing my meth lab to catch fire."

Another said: "Can you provide me with a decent recipe? I'm sure you know what I mean...hehe."

Police also claimed to have found a recipe for crystal meth on one of the Howes' 13 computers.

But Brian, 44, claims he cancelled the order when his "client" mentioned crystal meth and did not respond to the recipe request.

He said he kept recipes for hundreds of drugs and explosives to catch anyone he suspected of ordering chemicals for illegal purposes.

Brian said: "The police tried to trap us by making it look like we knew we were supplying drug dealers.

"But after that email mentioned crystal meth, we cancelled the order and informed the Special Branch."

The couple spent seven months in prison without being charged with any offence and are now on bail waiting to find out if the US extradition request will be approved by Scottish ministers.

Brian and Kerry Ann, 30, have two daughters - aged two and five.

She is also mum to two other girls aged nine and 10 from a previous relationship.

Brian said: "If we are taken to the US, the likelihood is that we will never see our children again. It would be tough for me but I don't think Kerry Ann would be able to handle it."

He insisted he has always worked with the police, informing them of any suspicious orders.

He added: "Central Scotland Police Special Branch visited us regularly when I informed them of anything suspicious and they never found anything wrong with what we were doing."

Brian says he and his wife have been left in limbo, unable to work or raise any cash to pay their bills.

He said: "The police have taken everything - cash, bank and credit cards, even the kids' piggy banks."

MAILFILE

CRYSTAL METH or "ice" - officially methamphetamine - is an addictive stimulant. In January, it was reclassified in the UK as a Class A drug. It causes less inhibited sexual behaviour but also paranoia, psychosis, internal bleeding and rapidly rots teeth.
Click to expand...

Linky

Edit: Internet site also known as KNO3 and The Chemical Shop.
 
I ordered from them while they were in business, and got my stuff, but drug squad came round a few weeks later needing to be told where to shove things.

And they messed me around over an order of DMSO and HNO3.
 
Violent criminals, rapists and child molestors face less time in prison...... god the "war on drugs" and Law Enforcement make me sick:X
 
its really messed up how undercover operations work sometimes. The cops will literally do and say anything to just get a little bit of shaky evidence on someone to try and start a case. never trust the police lol.
 
I don't understand what's going on. If he really reported it to the police after the guy mentioned meth, I don't see what's the issue.

It's not as if makers of meth purchase their supplies online.
 
They could probably get them on conspiracy charges aka you didnt actually do anything illegal didn't know the people who you supplied were making something illegal but your still going to jail for the rest of your life.:p
 
I feel for them in any case, but really... If you don't know international law, you shouldn't be selling chemicals internationally. I think at the very least they would know what chemicals are List I in the US, as well as similar restriction lists in other places they would be likely to sell to. You can't sell red P in quantity to someone that acts like a regular joe in the US and not expect a response. It would seem like obvious bait to me.

I don't think I'd be selling fireworks chemicals to people in the US either given how stupid people are. At the least I'd fear some lawsuit when a retard blinds himself or blows off a few fingers.

Thats tragic if they really weren't involved and kept up with everything like they say. Though, if not, thats a risk you take when doing that sort of thing, and when you do it in a very open to the public way, you're kinda hanging your nuts out there just waiting for something bad to happen.

As was mentioned before, not too many serious people buy that kind of stuff internationally in traceable ways... especially for meth, I mean, come on. We are not talking about stuff like ergotamine here.
 
1. What is the DEA doing raiding a warehouse in Scotland?

2. What's the story with them being extradited to the USA? Hopefully the Scottish judges will grow some balls and refuse to extradite them to a place where they've already been convicted.

3. "Hehe, that was some hot red phosporous, it started my meth lab on fire." Somehow I don't believe that bullshit happened for one second. Totally amateurish investigative technique. Then again... 8)
 
We can disagree with the laws and sentences, but c'mon they knew what they were doing and taking such huge risk while raising 4 kids ? That's just plain dumb
 
^^^^ But if red phosporous has legitimate uses (it does), it was a viable business, and they kept meticulous records, why should it be a big risk?

Just because Amerika has gone drug crazy off the deep end doesn't mean that rational humans 4,000 miles away should have to deal with it.

My concern is that they won't get a fair trial in the USA. Acquittal will make the DEA stooges look bad and the prosecution will do anything (manufactured evidence, bullshit testimony, etc.) to keep that from happening. Let them be tried in Scotland and if found guilty, let a sane sentence imposed.

The USA and its sanctioned hoodlums are just plain wrong, wrong, wrong... :X
 
damn, i hope they dont extradite them unless they have real proof that they knew their chemicals were ending up in meth labs.
The proof mentioned in the article sounds like entrapment that didnt work ie' they cancelled the order after meth was mentioned!
 
Slightly more to the story than the quote ...

They set up shop in Teeside UK then had their customer records and business confiscated: No charges or anything close. Business unit unsuitable for chemical storage etc

Moved North (Grangemouth): Set up an identical operation. Continued to sell and ship certain chemicals USA way often without any HAZMAT labelling and sometimes mislabelled.

The Teeside Operation records were forwarded to US DEA who then did a who's who and busted numerous labs. They called it a veritable goldmine (I paraphrase).

Scottish DEA (Tayside) watched and listened and included US DEA in the intelligence. They moved at least twice after the fact (this is based purely on their regsitered office address not necessarily their operational base location).

It's misleading AFAIK as no US DEA landed on British soil. The Teeside operation and records were enough to indite. It's now down to the The Scottish Office to determine if extradition is warranted. Rest assured they will fly!
 
This guy DID NOTHING WRONG and NOTIBLY informed the "Special Branch" of the DEA member who were trying to get their Crystal meth ingredients..........................
 
MrMoss, I'm assuming what you say is true. What would the penalties be in the UK for supplying meth precursors?

I know it's somewhat beside the point, but in a civilized nation surely not 98 years.
 
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