What a spud! Lorry driver who smuggled £480,000 of cocaine into the UK while delivering frozen potatoes is jailed for seven and a half years
- Bryan Anthony Hughes, 30, was sentenced to seven years and six months in jail
- Lorry was stopped at UK inbound border in Coquelles, France on October 18
- Officers found eight kilos of cocaine in baggage and a locker in his lorry
- He had travelled from the Netherlands with the £480,000 of cocaine
A lorry driver has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years for smuggling £480,000 worth of cocaine into the UK while delivering frozen potatoes.
Bryan Anthony Hughes, 30, from Ballymena, County Antrim, was stopped at the UK inbound border in Coquelles, France on October 16 last year.
Border Force officers were told by Hughes that he had been to Tilburg in the Netherlands.
When officers then searched his cab, eight kilos of cocaine was found in baggage and a locker.
It was estimated that the drugs would have a street value of £480,000.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) then began an investigation into Hughes.
Bryan Anthony Hughes, 30, (pictured) from Ballymena, County Antrim, was yesterday sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to seven years and six months in jail, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA)
Hughes had travelled from the Netherlands, having collected a legitimate cargo of frozen potatoes for delivery in the north west of England.
The 30-year-old made no comment when he was interviewed by officers, but the NCA said he later pleaded guilty to importing a Class A drug at Canterbury Crown Court on December 2.
He was yesterday sentenced at the same court.
His lorry was stopped at the UK inbound border in Coquelles, France on October 16 last year and the NCA then started an investigation into Hughes after eight kilos of cocaine were found by officers
Mark Howes, NCA branch commander, said: ‘This quantity of cocaine would generate significant revenue on UK streets, so this seizure will cause a dent in the profits of the organised crime group it was destined for.
‘Criminal groups use smugglers like Hughes to bring their drugs into the UK and our message to anyone tempted to try and make what they may consider easy money through smuggling is that you will be caught.
‘We work closely with our partners, including Border Force, to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the UK and will continue to prosecute those involved.’
The 30-year-old made no comment when he was interviewed by officers, but the NCA said he later pleaded guilty to importing a Class A drug at Canterbury Crown Court on December 2
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