UK Border Agency officers in Dover have charged a 36 year old man with drug smuggling.
Nedko Minev Nedev, a Bulgarian national, of Storrington Road, Croydon was remanded in custody when he appeared at Folkestone Magistrates Court today. He will next appear at Dover Magistrates Court on Thursday 1 April.
Nedev was arrested following an incident on 27 March 2010 at the inward tourist controls at Dover's Eastern Docks. UK Border Agency officers searched a Mitsubishi Pajero and discovered a number of packages hidden in one of the car batteries. The packages, weighing approximately four kilos, tested positive to heroin. The estimated street value of the drugs is £200,000.
Enquiries by UK Border Agency investigators are continuing.
Paul Booth, Assistant Director of Border Force South for the UK Border Agency, said: "The UK Border Agency is at the forefront of the fight to stop drugs entering the UK. We are determined to protect society from this activity which can have such a destructive impact on local communities as well as individuals.
"Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call Customs Hotline 0800 59 5000."
The UK Border Agency brings together hundreds of specially trained officers equipped with immigration and customs powers into a single force securing the UK border.
Officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.
They also use an array of search techniques including detection dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners as well as visual searches to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and cigarettes which would otherwise end up causing harm to local people, businesses and communities.
