‘This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the main piece of legislation through which illicit drugs are controlled across the UK.’
House of Commons Library, 16th June 2021
Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
‘Two former Royal Marines have been jailed for smuggling cocaine into the UK in boxes of Lego, after one of them was accidentally given to a child for his birthday.’
The Guardian, 15th June 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A man who was the “very head” of a large-scale international drugs conspiracy with links to Colombia has been jailed.’
BBC News, 10th June 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Black people are 12 times more likely to be prosecuted for cannabis possession than white people, according to new analysis by the Liberal Democrats who are calling for an end to the use of Stop and Search for small amounts.’
The Independent, 27th May 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘For those practitioners who thought that a positive decision from the Single Competent Authority as to whether a defendant was a victim of trafficking is admissible, having been settled since early 2020 with the Divisional Court decision in DPP v M [2020] EWHC 344 Admin, well…think again.’
Carmelite Chambers, 20th May 2021
Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk
‘A former Metropolitan police officer who used his position to help a criminal gang seize money from other offenders has been jailed for eight years.’
The Guardian, 13th May 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A chef who raped five women after spiking their drinks has been jailed for 24 years.’
BBC News, 22nd April 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A drug used in attacks by the UK’s most prolific rapist and the serial killer Stephen Port will be reclassified.’
BBC News, 30th March 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Two members of the Freshwater Five convicted more than a decade ago of attempting to smuggle £53m of cocaine into the UK have lost an appeal against their convictions.’
The Guardian, 25th March 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A pharmacist who illegally sold addictive prescription pills valued at more than £1m on the black market has been jailed for 12 months.’
BBC News, 2nd March 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Prisoners should be given cannabis to help deal with addiction problems and tackle violence, according to a police and crime commissioner (PCC) in Wales.’
The Independent, 28th February 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has castigated police forces over stop and search, saying that 35 years after the power was introduced they were still unable to explain why black people are more likely to be targeted.’
The Guardian, 26th February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Today [23 February], the Freshwater Five case is in front of the court of appeal after the disclosure of new evidence that the defence says points to the men’s conviction being unsafe. Why has it taken a decade to get to this point?’
The Guardian, 23rd February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Human trafficking is internationally recognised as threatening human rights and the fundamental values of democratic societies. States have taken action to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking and to provide support to victims of what is the third largest illicit money-making venture in the world. But what happens when the victims of trafficking commit a crime themselves? Should they be prosecuted? What factors are relevant in this assessment? And which arm of the State should the assessment of whether someone is a victim of trafficking be entrusted to? This is the first time the European Court of Human Rights has tackled these questions. The Court found that the UK had breached its obligations under articles 4 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights by prosecuting two Vietnamese children who were potential victims of trafficking.’
EIN Blog 24th February 2021
Source: www.ein.org.uk
‘Police forces are having to ration forensic toxicology work, especially samples from suspected drug drivers, because there is not enough capacity in the system to handle the volume of work, the outgoing forensic science regulator has said.’
The Guardian, 16th February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘An accountant and his father have been convicted of mistakenly killing their relative with a crossbow and murdering a cannabis farm burglar seconds later.’
BBC News, 11th February 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The appellant was sentenced on an unchallenged, written basis of plea to the effect that he was a mere custodian of drugs on behalf of another. In these circumstances the court was bound to apply the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA 2002) consistently with the facts of the basis of plea. On his basis, the appellant could not be said to have received the drugs for his own benefit and therefore he did not obtain property within the meaning of POCA 2002, s 76(4).’
5SAH, 11th February 2021
Source: www.5sah.co.uk
‘A drugs boss who ran a multi-million pound enterprise in the UK has been jailed after detectives hacked into his encrypted messaging accounts.’
BBC News, 4th February 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A drug dealer and his care worker girlfriend have been jailed for trafficking teenagers to sell drugs for a county lines operation.’
BBC News, 28th January 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘An appeal on the issue of whether a Council landlord’s initial failure to have regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty on commencing possession proceedings could be remedied by later performance of that duty.’
Nearly Legal, 2nd January 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2021