These are the faces behind an international smuggling ring which brought 1.3 tonne of cannabis into the North East from Thailand.
The organised crime gang was jailed for more than 75 years for the industrial scale importation of cannabis - it also dealt in more than 30kgs of cocaine.
Jordan Stoker roped in family and friends to organise the transportation of drug mules, storage and distribution of drugs and the handling of around £400,000 in cash.
Jordan Stoker
The 30-year-old was at the heart of the conspiracy to import more than a tonne of cannabis into the region.
He orchestrated the smooth movement of huge quantities of the Class B drug from Thailand into the UK through a number of drug mules who he dropped off and picked up from a number of airports.
The lynchpin of the County Durham side of the organised crime gang also roped in his father, Brian, to act as a reliable ‘taxi driver’ for the drug mules before turning to his mother and brother, Sarah Leighton and Ethan Smith, to help him count his illicit cash.
His barrister, Liam O’Brien, said his client understood that he was part of an international drugs ring but at no point was he running his own operation and was always following instruction.
He said: “He accepts providing transportation to and from airports, booking flights, overseeing the warehousing and distribution of cannabis and cocaine, and there were two or three occasions where he oversaw the counting and moving of large quantities of cash.”
The court heard how his family had been threatened with an acid attack if he failed to carry out his role for the organised crime group.
Stoker, of Hambleton Road, Coundon, was jailed for a total of 19 years.
Paul Lamb
The 45-year-old was the man in charge of hiring the vehicles which were used to transport the drugs and couriers around.
Lamb was described as Stoker’s ‘trusted and close assistant’ after being recruited to become involved in the drug running.
His barrister, Albany Kidd, said her client merely acted as the man hiring the vehicles or working as a driver.
She added: “There is no exceptional level of trust that has been placed in Mr Lamb by Stoker or others beyond him carrying out those roles.”
He accepts that he was paid for booking the cars or driving the couriers around but did not make a significant financial gain.
Lamb, of McCullagh Gardens, Bishop Auckland, was jailed for seven years and two months.
Brian Stoker
The 48-year-old father of the drug lynchpin was involved in picking up and dropping off drug couriers on up to eight occasions and was paid up to £150 per trip.
The court heard how Stoker senior initially didn’t know what he was getting involved with but now accepts what his role truly involved.
His barrister, Rebecca Brown, said: “There is no evidence that Mr Stoker hired any vehicle, arranged the flights, recruited the people travelling or was anything other than a driver or passenger during the airport runs.”
Stoker played a lesser role in the operation than his son as he had no influence over anyone else involved in the transportation of the drugs.
Stoker, of Waterloo Terrace, Shildon, was jailed for five years and two months.
Sarah Leighton
The mother of Jordan Stoker became involved in her son’s illicit enterprise when he moved back home after separating from his partner.
The 48-year-old only became involved in the storage and counting of money after he moved into her Shildon home.
Dan Wilberforce, representing Leighton, said his client became involved out of loyalty to her son when he was receiving threats from ‘dangerous people’.
“There is no evidence that she received financial reward for her involvement and is in fact in significant debt to utility companies at the minute,” he said.
“She agreed to help him out but maintains that she had not idea of the scale of the operation until she counted the money and it became quite plainly obvious to her.”
Leighton maintained that she had no idea who her son was involved with but accepts that she knew what he was doing was wrong.
Mr Wilberforce added: “Her motivation was out of concern for her son.”
Leighton, of Queen Street, Shildon, was sentenced to 22 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
Ethan Smith
The brother of Jordan Stoker also only became involved in the money laundering of the drug money when his sibling moved in with his mother.
The court heard how there was no evidence that the 23-year-old had received any financial gain from counting the money and only became involved after learning of the threats made to Jordan Stoker and his young family.
Dan Wilberforce, representing Smith, said his client is of previous good character.
He added: “He says it was out of a sense of loyalty to his brother that he agreed to help.
“He was aware the counting of the money was not legitimate money. He felt he had no choice other than to help his brother.
“He was under the impression that if he helped him out, any outstanding money would no longer be an issue and his brother would be out of trouble.”
Smith, of Queen Street, Shildon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
Christopher Sowerby
The 30-year-old was one of three brothers who used their Shildon home to store the drugs for Jordan Stoker and was paid to look after kilos of cannabis and cocaine.
He was involved in the conspiracy for four months and received a share of less than £1,000 over that period.
His barrister, Paul Rooney, said the three brothers kept a record of the quantities of drugs stashed in the home on Teesdale Walk to ensure they would not be held responsible if any of the high-value narcotics went missing.
“They knew the quantity that was being stored in their house,” he added. “His knowledge of the scale of the operation was limited to that.
“It was limited to the amount of drugs brought to his house. He did not have awareness or understanding of the overall scale of the organisation.”
He was sentenced to 13 years and one month in prison.
Shaun Sowerby
The 37-year-old elder Sowerby sibling had never been in trouble with the police before. He was arrested for acting as a warehouseman for the organised crime gang.
The trio were originally approached to look after vapes containing cannabis before they were asked to look after the Class A and Class B drugs.
His barrister, Rachel Hedworth, said: “Jordan Stoker would leave anything between £20 to £50 on the window ledge following drop offs or collections from the address.”
The court heard how the brothers were ‘extremely concerned’ about storing the drugs but were slightly worried about what may follow if they didn’t agree.
Ms Hedworth said they were not working under duress but they were three individuals living a ‘fairly isolated, lonely existence’ and were potentially targeted by others as people who would go along with what was being asked of them.
He was sentenced to 13 years and one month in prison.
Ian Sowerby
The 32-year-old suffers from a functional neurological disorder, but was declared medically fit to serve time in custody.
His barrister, Michael Cahill, said his client had suffered repeated seizures while being held on remand for his role in the drug importation gang.
He added: “Ultimately, this defendant will find his incarceration a great deal more difficult.”
Mr Cahill said Sowerby ‘was very sorry he got himself into this situation but acknowledges it was his fault’ that he had become involved.
He was sentenced to ten years and ten months in prison.
Matthew Goodwin
The 25-year-old from Wigan travelled to Thailand on three occasions and was connected to the illegal importation of 183kg of cannabis.
The roofer became involved in the illicit operation after racking up £7,000 in drug debts to feed his own addiction.
His barrister, Dan Cordey, said his client is to be sentenced as a simple ‘mule’.
“He did not know the extent of the full operation but he knew the extent of what he did – no more than that,” he added.
“He accepts he agreed to do what he did, he was exploited by others higher up the chain.”
He was sentenced to three years and nine months in custody.
Trelawny Brown
The 31-year-old radiographer from Rotherham was involved in the importation of 54kg of cannabis and was connected to a further 50-60kg which was left at Krakow airport in Poland.
His lawyer, Tony Davis, said his client was involved in two trips which were for financial gain after running into money troubles.
He added: “It is sad when a university educated young man, without previously troubling the law, falls into financial difficulty which is what he did following the birth of his third child.
“He was offered the opportunity to make some very quick money and he chose that option.”
He was sentenced to three years four and a half months in custody.
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