A drugs kingpin who imported up to £1bn of cocaine to the UK died in his prison cell seven years into his sentence.
Johnny Gerrard Kock, 75, was found dead in his cell at HMP Berwyn in Wales on August 16, 2021. He was jailed for 25 years in October 2014 after using a fake pond-liner business as cover to import up to 6,000kg of the class A drug into Liverpool.
An inquest into his death on Thursdasy (May 25) heard that the 75-year-old's body was found in his isolation cell by two prison officers. Senior coroner for north Wales east and central, John Gittins, recorded a conclusion of death arising from natural causes, reports NorthWalesLive.
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At Kock's sentencing nine years ago, Judge Mark Brown said: "In terms of the amounts of cocaine, this must be one of the biggest ever offences considered by the courts."
Kock was originally from Germany but at the time of his arrest was living in a semi-detached house in Willow Road, Wavertree, Liverpool. He was jailed for 25 years after admitting conspiracy to avoid the prohibition on the importation of a Class A drug.
The pensioner used a fake pond-liner business to import up to 6,000kg of cocaine - potentially worth up to a billion pounds at street level- from the continent to an industrial site in Liverpool.
He was arrested after customs officials in France uncovered 23kg of cocaine hidden in boxes of soap powder, while a further tip-off led German officials to a 107kg consignment. He had escaped arrest on two occasions in the nineties and managed to evade authorities for 18 years thereafter.
The inquest heard that Kock - who had refused a Covid vaccination along with treatment for his longstanding cardiac issues during his time in prison- had tested positive for Covid-19, but this was not a factor in his death, according to Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers.
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