A PILOT from North Yorkshire who flew millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the UK has been jailed for 19 years.

Andrew Wright, 52, of Barlow, was arrested under an operation by the National Crime Agency at an aerodrome near Selby in 2014, when Border Force searched his Cessna aeroplane and the boot of his Porsche Cayenne, discovering blocks of the Class A drug which weighed 34kg. Once cut and distributed, this would have a street value of about £5m.

The National Crime Agency discovered he had picked up the cocaine from a private airfield in Kassel, Germany, and had made seven similar trips in the three months prior to his arrest.

A second man, Jamie Williams, 38, from Upminster, Essex, was also arrested as part of a separate investigation involving the Metropolitan Police and NCA. During a search of his house officers discovered more drugs, cash, a gun and ammunition. The Old Bailey heard this week Williams had driven previous shipments of cocaine from Breighton to Essex.

He delivered them to Mark Dowling, 43, from Brentwood, Essex, who was later arrested while handing over 19kg of cannabis to David Rowe, 57, from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, in June last year.

A search of Dowling's home found another 12.5kg of cocaine, worth about £1.8m, 23.5kg of cannabis worth £155,000, and a ledger showing he had been responsible for shipping in more than a quarter of a tonne of cocaine from the Netherlands through Wright, who he nicknamed 'Biggles'.

All three pleaded guilty to conspiring to import class A drugs. Dowling also admitted money laundering charges and supplying class A drugs, while Williams admitted supplying class A drugs and possessing a firearm.

A judge at the Old Bailey sentenced Dowling to 24 years in prison, Wright to 19 years and Williams to 23 years. Rowe was given an 18 month sentence for possessing cannabis with intent to supply.