Churchill relative sentenced in drug case

SYDNEY, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Australian officials sentenced the great-grandson of Winston Churchill to at least 20-months in jail for his involvement in a drug operation.

Officials sentenced Nicholas Jake Barton in a nearly $12 million ecstasy supply operation affiliated with a sublet property, the Daily Mail said Thursday.

Judge Colin Charateris, the presiding judge in the case, said although Barton faced up to 10-years imprisonment, the relationship to Winston Churchill played no part in the sentencing.

The court found Barton had only a limited role in the operation uncovered in June 2006.

Police officials raided a property sublet by Barton to Rees Woodgate of New Zealand and uncovered 22 pounds of ecstasy, 24 pounds of its precursor, 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine, or MDMA, along with a pin press, acetone and other equipment that could be used to make illicit drugs, the newspaper said.

Barton issued a statement in the case saying he was unaware of Woodgate's illegal drug trade but stated when he did find out, "to my utter regret, I didn't take action to stop it ... and became complicit."

The judge sentenced Barton to three years jail time backdated to his arrest date of June 17.