Court strips drug-smuggling mastermind of £160,000

Mar 27 2008 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Daily Post

A BUSINESSMAN who used his construction company as a front for adrug-smuggling business has been stripped of more than £160,000.

Keith Burke moved scaffolding between Merseyside and the continent to give the impression of a legitimate business, but his gang was shipping millions of pound worth of drugs into Britain.

Each shipment brought into the UK carried up to £3m worth of heroin and cocaine.

In July 2006, the gang were jailed for a total of more than 200 years. Burke, 49, was sent to prison for 11 years for his part in the conspiracy.

But yesterday he was back before Liverpool Crown Court following an investigation into his finances.

Judge Mark Brown ordered that £167,048 should be handed back. He gave Burke, formerly of Quebec Quay, Liverpool city centre, six months to pay back the profits from his illegal trade.

Judge Brown warned Burke he would face an extra two years and three months in prison if he failed to hand over the profits.

On Tuesday, fellow ringleader John Mullally, formerly of Rutherford Road, Mossley Hill, who was jailed for 14 years, was stripped of £376,132.

The third mastermind David Baker, who was jailed for 24 years, was due before court today, but his case was adjourned. Baker, formerly of Inchcape Road, Broadgreen, is due in court on April 10.