Mother and son jailed for cocaine smuggling plot from Dominican Republic

Amanda Meadowcroft, 53, and her son Bradley Couzins, 34, have been sentenced to over seven years each for importing 14 kilos of cocaine into the UK.

Lancashire pair sentenced for smuggling £294,000 of cocaine through Manchester Airport

The National Crime Agency (nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk) has secured the conviction of a mother and son from Darwen, Lancashire, who conspired to smuggle 14 kilograms of cocaine into the UK from the Dominican Republic.

Amanda Meadowcroft, 53, was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport in April 2025 upon returning from the Dominican Republic. She was, at the time, serving a suspended sentence for a previous smuggling conviction. A second woman travelling with her was found to be carrying 14 packages of cocaine in her luggage, with a street value of approximately £294,000.

Two mobile phones seized from Meadowcroft uncovered the extent of her son's involvement. Text messages showed that Bradley Couzins, 34, had orchestrated the scheme, offering his mother the choice between an economy-class trip to the Dominican Republic or a first-class flight to Thailand. He subsequently coordinated flight and travel logistics, including arrangements to collect the class A drugs from individuals at their apartment.

After learning of his mother's arrest, Couzins attempted to flee, but NCA officers tracked him down in Blackpool in August 2025. During the arrest, he tried to destroy his phone by striking it with his handcuffs, injuring an NCA officer in the process.

Both Meadowcroft and Couzins pleaded guilty to importing cocaine at Manchester Crown Court in September 2025. Couzins also pleaded guilty to assaulting an NCA officer. They were sentenced on Thursday 12 March at the same court — Meadowcroft to seven years and Couzins to seven years and six months.

Charles Lee, NCA Senior Investigation Officer, said: "This criminal family went to great lengths to source and smuggle class A drugs into the UK. The duo planned and executed an operation born out of greed, culminating in a violent assault on an NCA officer. Thankfully the officer made a full recovery."

Lee added that the NCA would continue to work alongside Border Force and Lancashire Police to disrupt drug supply chains.

The woman arrested alongside Meadowcroft was initially charged but was subsequently released with no further action taken.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)