50 year old Stephen Walford from Basildon in Essex has been jailed for 10 years by Canterbury Crown Court today after attempting to smuggle 10kg of cocaine into the UK through the Port of Dover.
The court heard that during the evening of Tuesday 14 July, a Ford Transit van driven by Walford was stopped after it had arrived at Dover on a ferry from France. During a search of the vehicle, which was carrying plastic garden ornaments, UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers discovered 10 black-taped packages under the passenger seat of the van. The contents of these packages tested positive for cocaine, with a street value of around £400,000.
Following the discovery of the drugs, the case was passed to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) investigation officers to continue enquiries. Walford was interviewed and subsequently charged with attempting to smuggle Class A drugs into the UK. He entered a guilty plea at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday, 14 September, and was today sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with a five year travel restriction following his release.
Dave Gostelow, spokesman for HMRC in the East said:
"This man thought that he could smuggle drugs into the UK, but he was wrong and now he is paying the price with his loss of liberty. Today's sentence shows how seriously drug smuggling is treated and anyone tempted to become involved should think again.
"Smuggling drugs is a serious crime and the criminals involved care only about lining their own pockets without a second thought of the untold harm that these deadly drugs do to our communities. If you know of any illegal activity of this nature please telephone our 24 hour hotline on 0800 59 5000."
