Portsmouth port worker Michael Jordan who carried out £118m cocaine smuggling scheme jailed

By Freddie Webb
Published 10th Jul 2023, 16:33 BST
Updated 10th Jul 2023, 16:33 BST
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A corrupt port worker involved in importing a multi-million pound drugs haul has been put behind bars.

Michael Jordan, 45, worked at Portsmouth dockyard when a cocaine shipment hidden in bundles of bananas entered the port. The Portsmouth native was working when cargo vessel called MV Atlantic Klipper arrived containing 372 pallets of the tropical fruit.

Mr Jordan thought the shipment contained £118m worth of cocaine, but it had been previously intercepted by police. The marine transit originated from Columbia, stopping on its way to the UK at Vlissingen in the Netherlands.

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NOW READ: 'Corrupt' Portsmouth dockworker and lorry driver jailed following cocaine smuggling conspiracy

Michael Jordan, 45, of Portsmouth, has been jailed for 21 years following a £118m cocaine smuggling scandal. Picture: National Crime Agency.Michael Jordan, 45, of Portsmouth, has been jailed for 21 years following a £118m cocaine smuggling scandal. Picture: National Crime Agency.
Michael Jordan, 45, of Portsmouth, has been jailed for 21 years following a £118m cocaine smuggling scandal. Picture: National Crime Agency.

Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Dutch police discovered 1,477 kilos of cocaine, which they replaced with dummy packages. When the boat arrived into Portsmouth in April 2022, officers watched Jordan on CCTV separating pallets which he believed contained the drugs and moving them to a separate warehouse.

The 45-year-old and his accomplice, David Oliver, of Cornwall Road, Fratton, attempted to conceal the pallets among an unconnected consignment. Oliver, aged 44 at the time, was handed a 14 year prison term after playing a ‘significant role’ in the smuggling operation.

Jordan prepared for the arrival of Turkish lorry driver Ahmet Aydin, 48, of no fixed address, so the load could be moved into his trailer quickly and without detection. Aydin was slapped with a 13 year prison term after changing his plea to guilty of conspiracy during the trial.

SEE ALSO: Officers seize ‘large quantity’ of cannabis in drugs raid

Michael Jordan, 45, of Portsmouth, at the port where he was involved in a cocaine smuggling scandal. Picture; National Crime Agency.Michael Jordan, 45, of Portsmouth, at the port where he was involved in a cocaine smuggling scandal. Picture; National Crime Agency.
Michael Jordan, 45, of Portsmouth, at the port where he was involved in a cocaine smuggling scandal. Picture; National Crime Agency.

The NCA shared intelligence with West Midlands Police, who arrested four men as part of their own investigation when the dummy load was transported to a rural location near Lichfield in Staffordshire.

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Oliver, Aydin, and Jordan, were all arrested at the same time of on suspicion of conspiracy to import class A drugs. Jordan was convicted following a three-week trial at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (July 7).

He has been sentenced to 21 years in prison. Matt McMillan, NCA Branch Commander, said: ‘Michael Jordan was part of a criminal conspiracy to import a large quantity of cocaine through the UK border.

‘He used his insider knowledge as a port worker to make money from the cocaine trade, which fuels violence and exploitation on our streets. The NCA worked closely with the port operator, international partners, and West Midlands Police to dismantle this organised crime group and protect the public.’