An ‘aspiring musician’ from the US has been jailed for her part in smuggling £8million of cocaine into the UK.

Drugs mule Chloe Sandoval was part of an organised crime gang which tried to traffick 12 bags stuffed with the Class A drug through Manchester Airport. The five men and two women were paid by kingpins to import the drug into the country on a flight from LA via Dusseldorf, then hide in the airport toilets before picking up the bags.

But the mission failed when the blocks of white powder, from Cancun, Mexico, were picked up on airport X-rays. Three of the group were arrested on the spot, while four others were apprehended in rooms at the airport’s Hilton DoubleTree hotel.

A court heard how 22-year-old Sandoval was the seventh and final member of the gang to be jailed over the foiled smuggling plot. Messages recovered from a phone Sandoval was using between her and her boss, known only as ‘Nate’ or ‘Cruz’, showed she had messaged him shortly after landing writing: “There’s an officer… they grabbing bags.”

She added: “Sorry I want to get out of here as soon as possible cause they definitely on y’all case.” When ‘Nate’ told her to ‘walk out’, she replied: “You sure? I only have one.” Prosecutor Matthew Conway told Manchester crown court it was clear her plan was to acquire more than one suitcase.

Six people were jailed earlier this month, including Yulibeth Gonzalez and model Leandra Royer, who were also in on the failed operation, Manchester Evening News reports. Referring to the arrest at the airport of Gonzalez, Sandoval messaged Royer once she had made it out of the airport saying: “Shawty got caught up and me and you been the two travelling w her and I grabbed a bag. And walked out and they got that s**t on camera…. I’m not tryna go through that airport again… good thing we didn’t agree to grab 3 f***ing bags.”

Sandoval, described as playing a “significant” role in the plot, then went to an address in Bury where she dropped off the suitcase, before returning to the DoubleTree hotel where she was arrested. The court heard she had been an aspiring artist and was facing financial difficulties in the US at the time. She had one prior conviction for possession of cannabis in the States.

Rebecca Filletti, defending, told the court her client was ‘extremely remorseful’ before showing the judge large pieces of artwork she had completed while on remand, to show she had been attempting using her time inside productively. The lawyer also referred to ‘bible study notes’ her client had penned while on remand and said her ambition was to write books. She said her client had written songs while behind bars and ‘hopes to have a record deal’ in the future.

“This is somebody who is taking seriously and wants to demonstrate to the court there’s been a positive improvement from her time in custody and she is working to ensure she never comes before this court again,” said Ms Felletti. Her client had come out of a ‘bad relationship’, was ‘extremely vulnerable’ and saw an ‘opportunity’ with Royer to make money, she said.

Sentencing, Judge Tom Gilbart said the defendant had been ‘acting with others under supervision’, adding: “You acted as you did because you wished to make money. You knew you were doing something obviously illegal with the chance of earning a reward you are now paying the price for pursuing money in that way.”

The judge referred to bereavements the defendant had suffered and mental health difficulties. He added: “It’s clear you have talents better employed than engaged in criminality of this type.” Although she had agreed to take part in the operation with her eyes ‘wide open’, Sandoval had been ‘taken advantage of by more sophisticated criminals’, said Judge Gilbart.

He handed Sandoval four years in prison after she admitted evading the prohibition of the importation of a Class A controlled drug. She was told she would serve at least half the sentence in prison before being released in licence when it is likely she will be deported back to America.

Others who were sentenced earlier this month are: Brian Marealle, 32, was sentenced to eight years; Charles Mass, 29, and Leandra Royer, 26, were each sentenced to 11 years and eight months; Yulibeth Gonzalez, 26, was sentenced to nine years; Brianna Hunt, 22, was handed seven years and six months; Laquesa Greer, 50, was jailed for eight years and six months. Each pleaded guilty to evading the prohibition of the importation of a Class A controlled drug.

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