Eddie Burton, 23, has pleaded guilty to seven charges, including importing Class A drugs and money laundering, after police caught up with his £20million drug empire
The grandmother of a baby-faced dealer locked up for commanding a vast £20million drug empire has spoken of her “stranger” relation.
Eddie Burton, 23, and his ex-partner Sian Banks, drug transportation scheme was discovered when two lorries, containing heroin, cocaine and ketamine, were intercepted in Dover in 2022. When a second vehicle was intercepted six weeks later Burton’s fingerprints were found on the shipments and fuel tank and a manhunt was launched.
Spanish Police finally arresting him in August 2023 at Pacha nightclub. This week Burton pleaded guilty to four counts of importing Class A and B drugs. Banks, 25, pleaded guilty to seven charges, including importing Class A drugs and money laundering after first being arrested in December 2023, Liverpool Echo reported.
Burton’s grandmother Margaret Burton told MailOnline of her tearaway relation: “’He was a bit of a young tearaway. He started selling a few drugs when he was about ten for older drug dealers.
‘Eddie was a runner for them. He was a real baby-face so it was ideal for them as he just didn’t look old enough to be into drugsI think he was selling drugs. So it’s not that surprising what’s happened to him.
“I don’t really know him now though. The last time I saw him was when he came to my house when he was 18, It was like a stranger coming to my house with two of his mates. I couldn’t wait for him to go really.”
The National Crime Agency found messages sent between Banks and Burton on July 5, 2022 – two days after the first lorry carrying drugs was intercepted. The messages suggested she had flown to the Netherlands in late June and prepared the first shipment of drugs to transport with Burton. One showed Banks was worried about her fingerprints being on the bags of ketamine. Burton replied to this saying: “You’ve never been nicked or had ye prints took anyway so doesn’t matter.”
Banks was also found to be selling scam Covid-19 travel documents at the height of the pandemic. The pair will be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on February 11.
NCA Branch Commander John Turner said: “Burton, with Banks’ help, attempted to smuggle huge quantities of harmful drugs into the UK, believing he could operate with impunity overseas. Banks held a crucial role in the criminal enterprise, laundering the illicit profits and acting as the UK-based facilitator for the multi-million pound drug importations.
“The drugs, had they reached their final destination, would have had a destructive impact on our communities, fuelling violence and exploiting vulnerable people throughout the supply chain.”