Friday 25 November 2022 10:53 PM British anti-narcotics officer Annie Norris SACKED from Barbados posting trends now
A top UK National Crime Agency official in the Caribbean has been sacked for gross misconduct.
Annie Norris, who was based at the British High Commission in Barbados, was fired after an inquiry into the sale of a high value ‘covert asset’ used to spy on drug traffickers.
She faced the internal inquiry into claims she misused resources at the UK’s version of the FBI. This included claims she sold the NCA-owned surveillance asset to a friend at a discounted price and ran up huge roaming bills on her agency mobile phone, according to sources.
The Daily Mail is not identifying the intelligence-gathering resource at the centre of the controversy so as not to compromise future anti-narcotics missions or potentially put operatives’ lives at risk.
In a statement, the NCA said it ‘expects the highest standards of conduct and integrity from all its officers’ but Miss Norris’s conduct ‘fell well short’.
Annie Norris, who was based at the British High Commission in Barbados, was fired after an inquiry into the sale of a high value ‘covert asset’ used to spy on drug traffickers
The case is a blow to the reputation of the agency, which prides itself on being an elite crime-fighting organisation.
As the NCA’s top official in the Eastern Caribbean, Miss Norris was at the forefront of its fight against drug traffickers passing through local waters.
Her role as regional international liaison manager saw her earn around £65,000 and play a crucial role in the region’s ‘counter narcotics initiative’ against illegal shipments from Colombia and Venezuela to the UK.
But the high-flying officer was dramatically removed from her position earlier this year after concerns were raised about decisions she made.
Her glamorous posting in Barbados – which saw her live in a three-bedroom grace and favour property on the island and rub shoulders with diplomats – ended abruptly pending disciplinary proceedings. After several months on restricted duties, she was fired for gross misconduct after a tribunal last week.
A former colleague of Miss Norris – a keen surfer and yogi who was a familiar face at the Barbados Yacht Club – said: ‘When Annie arrived, she was the first woman to have the position [of regional international liaison manager]. She seemed very ordinary, she didn’t appear flashy.
She faced the internal inquiry into claims she misused resources at the UK’s version of the
