HEROIN MASTERMIND JAILED

An Englishman who orchestrated the botched importation of more than
$400,000 of heroin into Australia has been jailed for 10 years.

John Parry, 37, was found guilty in February of knowingly being concerned
in the importation of 224g of heroin from Bangkok to Perth between June and
December 1999.

A District Court jury took seven hours to reach a verdict after an
eight-day trial, in which the court was told that Parry was caught by
Federal police after the Swiss courier he had hired to swallow the heroin
and bring it to Australia had a medical emergency and was taken to hospital.

Judge Roger Macknay made Parry eligible for parole after 5 1/2,* years and
the sentence was backdated to December 19, 1999. The offence carries a
maximum 25-year jail term, a $110,000 fine or both.

Judge Macknay said Parry's role was at least as serious, if not more
serious, than that of the courier.

The courier, Hans Urben, was sentenced to seven years and four months jail
on a charge of importing heroin. He must serve a minimum term of four years
and nine months.

Urben had emergency surgery in Fremantle Hospital in December 1999 after
some of the 100 condom-like packages he had swallowed burst in his stomach.

During Parry's trial, Urben testified that he knew Parry from Thailand and
that the Englishman had recruited him to carry out the drug run in exchange
for $10,000.

He had swallowed the heroin packages in Bangkok on the direction of Parry
before catching a flight to Perth.

He arrived without a hitch but ran into trouble when the heroin packages
split and staff at the Fremantle hotel where he was staying found him
disorientated on the floor of his room. Federal police investigated and
arrested Parry soon after.

Parry claimed he was an innocent traveller who became a suspect in the
illegal importation after trying to get a drug fix from Urben.

Parry said he had no knowledge of the importation and came to Australia to
go backpacking in the outback in order to wean himself off heroin.

He had made a loose arrangement to meet Urben and travel with him.