'Dummy' packages helped lure £18.8 million Leeds cannabis importer
A drug importer was lured into picking up packages after cannabis with a street value of more than £18 million was intercepted by airport officials.
Eight large boxes of high-strength cannabis weighing more than 200kg were found by Border Force when they arrived at East Midlands from the USA.
Police allowed the empty boxes to be delivered to West Yorkshire, with James Montgomery arriving at the delivery address in Allerton Bywater to pick them up, before being arrested.
He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week after admitting conspiracy to supply a Class B drug.
The court heard that the drugs were found in a UPS freight shed at the airport on October 30 last year.
Arriving from the United States, the drugs weighed 213kg and were hidden in boxes bound for a sports company run by Montgomery’s brother. They were meant to contain only $1,870 worth of men’s shoes.
On November 4, officers set a trap by allowing “dummy” parcels to continue to the delivery address, at Owlwood Cottages in Allerton Bywater.
Montgomery was there to take delivery in a Mercedes Sprinter he had hired, but after loading the packages into the van, he tried to drive away and was quickly arrested.
The 44-year-old had more than £6,000 in cash on him and three mobile phones. They searched his home on Pinfold Lane, Methley, and found small quantities of cannabis.
They also unearthed “dealer lists” referring to kilogrammes and half-kilogrammes of cannabis destined to be sold on.
There was also evidence from phone messages that he had moved large amounts of the drug previously and was planning more imports in future.
The amount recovered at East Midlands Airport could have been worth around £2 million if moved on wholesale, but due to the high quality nature, could fetch £18.8 million in street deals.
Montgomery, who has three previous convictions for 10 offences, has been on remand since his arrest. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Hull.
Mitigating, Anthony Sugare said it was “clear others were involved” and that Montgomery had been part of a chain.
He said he had “no meaningful record” and had stayed out of trouble for years.
Judge Kate Rayfield told Montgomery: “You had the capability of getting rid of extremely large amounts of cannabis in a short amount of time.
“It goes without saying it large-scale professional offending.”
He was jailed for six years. A Proceeds of Crime Act timetable will see Montgomery return to court on October 6, 2025, to determine how much money he has made from his illegal enterprise, and whether it can be recouped.