A PAIR of smugglers will spend Christmas behind bars after being betrayed by their paymaster, who secretly worked as a top police supergrass
Michael Michael, who ran a £132m drug smuggling racket, identified Tony Doherty of Regents Court, Beckenham, and Jack Vose of Dulverton Road, New Eltham, among 49 who helped him forge his criminal empire.
Vose, 48, was convicted of smuggling 201kg of cannabis resin and jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
Doherty, 34, was jailed for three years and nine months for smuggling 185kg of resin following Michael's testimony.
Michael's become a police informant in 1998 following his own arrest for smuggling 110kg of cocaine and 19,000kg of cannabis into the UK. The drugs seized had a street value of £11.6m.
He had used cars, a tanker and a coach known as the "happy bus" to smuggle the narcotics across the borders.
He even employed Page Three girl Tracey Kirby as a runner in his operation.
Judge Michael Carrol jailed Michael for six years along with Vose and Doherty on December 18, cutting his sentence from 24 years because of his co-operation.
December 20, 2001 18:46
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