Mother of drug smuggler launches blistering attack on officers over police role 'leak'
A former Staffordshire Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a blistering attack on police after her son was jailed for smuggling drugs worth £135 million.
Sue Arnold said West Midlands Police had "persecuted her family" as they investigated her son's crimes before he was locked up for 23 years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.
Jonathan Arnold was part of a gang who brought nearly two tonnes of cocaine, heroin and ketamine via portsm, using a furniture removal company as a front for their travel.
Speaking after the sentencing, Mrs Arnold accused officers of tipping off the press about her relationship with the 30-year-old following his admission of four charges of conspiracy to import and supply drugs in May. It was shortly after he pleaded guilty that news of their relationship emerged.
In response, the force denied any officer would reveal the family connection between a suspect and a public figure, like Mrs Arnold.
Mrs Arnold, a former Lichfield Conservative Councillor who was also Deputy Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner from 2012 to 2021, also refuted the image police portrayed of her 30-year-old son, while admitting being “absolutely appalled” for her son "making these reckless decisions impacting on so many lives”.
He was described by officers a "drug kingpin" who ran an international drug empire importing heroin through his removal business, however she argues he was a Tramadol addict whose kind nature allowed his removals business to be used by vicious criminals to import massive amounts of drugs into the UK.
She said: "After dedicating 10 years of my life to supporting as well as holding law enforcement in this country to account, I feel that my husband and I have been the victims of some policing sharp practice. It hurts me to say that and especially on the news distillation front.
“We believe we have been persecuted by the police as a family, and the press tipped off over my personal connection with law enforcement as a former deputy police and crime commissioner.
“No one will convince me otherwise that when my name didn’t come out in the public domain at the court hearing of Jonathan’s co-defendants, then steps were taken to ensure it did."
She added: “Was my former life as a deputy PCC really something in the ‘public interest’ to allow for a second strand of reporting of the case which impacted so badly on us a family
She said: "On reflection, it feels to me like some kind of warped payback for my devotion to policing, with an avowed intent to shatter my reputation."
“This persecution and twisting of the narrative are also destroying our family ties with us even unable to meet up with close relatives who are serving police officers because of the implication of being involved in all this. We can’t see our two nieces and missed the birth of a great niece recently.”
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "We'd never comment on or confirm the family connections of an individual unless there was a policing purpose for doing so."
The gang’s downfall started in January last year when one of their couriers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made a drug run to Europe in a Real Estate Removals van.
But his van was searched by French Customs’ officers who found 63 blocks of cocaine weighing 71kg along with 99 bags of ketamine weighing 101kg.
The drugs had a UK wholesale value of more than £2.5m (£2,561,900).
The biggest single seizure came in April last year, when the gang tried to bring 1,477kg of cocaine with a street value of around £118m into Portsmouth.
Four men were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday. They were:
Jonathan Arnold, aged 30, of Cremorne Road, Sutton Coldfield. Arnold was the head of the group, an importer of drugs and someone who arranged importation of the drugs. He admitted four charges of conspiracy to import and supply drugs – cocaine, heroin and ketamine. Today he was jailed for 23 years and six months.
James Jenkins, aged 25, of Lichfield Street, Tamworth. Jenkins was a supervisor for the operation. He has been found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, but not guilty of importing cocaine. Today he was jailed for 15 years.
Connor Fletcher, aged 25, of Bridgnorth Road, Wolverhampton. Fletcher drove an HGV into Dover from Calais containing 60 kg of cocaine concealed within two hides. Found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine. Today he was jailed for 12 years.
Humayan Sadiq, aged 43, of Manchester. Sadiq had planned to move the cocaine that was due to have been brought into Portsmouth from Colombia via Holland. He was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine. He has been jailed for 27 years.
