A 30 year old Belgian national, Ali Kherchachi, was sentenced yesterday, at Canterbury Crown Court to eight and a half years imprisonment for attempting to smuggle 6.5 kilos of cocaine into the UK through the port of Dover. The drugs had an estimated street value of £250,000.
On 8 April 2008 UKBA Officers at the Dover Eastern Docks, intercepted Kherchachi driving a Belgian registered "box type" van. When questioned by officers Kherchachi stated he had furniture in his load. Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and found a stereo speaker which contained 9 brown tape wrapped packages and four further packages, two in a video recorder and two within a biscuit tin.
Georgina Myles, spokeswoman for HMRC at Dover said: "HM Revenue & Customs, along with the UK Border Agency, is working at the forefront of the fight to tackle drug smuggling at ports and airports throughout the UK. HMRC take a very serious view of drug smuggling."
Anyone with information relating to smuggled goods should contact HMRC's hotline number on 0800 59 5000 or email: customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
