Sam Fedoriw, 36, of Woodbine Road, and Leah George, 38, of Coultate Street, both of Burnley, were convicted of being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug.[1] Fedoriw and George were due to appear before Manchester Crown Court for sentencing but neither appeared.[1] Judge Peter Horgan issued a bench warrant for both defendants, who will be sentenced at a later date.[1]

The offences relate to an incident on September 11, when the pair brought 69.9kg of cannabis through Manchester Airport.[1] The haul was reported as having an estimated street value of almost £700,000.[1]

George’s lawyer said she lives in Burnley, had spent her last £20 paying a friend for a lift to court, the lift let her down, and she had no money left to get to court.[1] George’s lawyer said that if a bench warrant was issued, she would hand herself in at the police station.[1] Fedoriw’s lawyer said he did not have a phone and, despite the probation service making contact with him, a pre-sentence report had not been completed.[1] The judge made a note of the reasons given for George’s absence.[1]