Leicester Man Jailed For Drug Smuggling

A man from Leicester has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to heroin and cocaine smuggling.

Vinod Allen was arrested on 30 March 2010 at the inward freight controls at Dover when UK Border Agency officers searched the Mercedes van which he was driving.

Officers stopped and questioned Allen who said he had been to Belgium to collect carpets. During the vehicle search officers removed the passenger seat and found seven packages in a space underneath.

Six of the packages, weighing three kilos in total, tested positive to heroin. The seventh, weighing 0.25 kilos, tested positive to cocaine.

The heroin had an estimated street value of £140,000 and the cocaine £10,000.

Allen pleaded guilty on 8 December 2010 during his trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

Malcolm Bragg, UK Border Agency's Criminal and Financial Assistant Director for the UK Border Agency, Border Force South, said: "This is a strong warning to anyone who believes drug smuggling is acceptable. Clearly, the view of the courts is that it is a very serious matter and UK Border Agency officers will remain vigilant at all our ports and airports to prevent drugs reaching our streets.

UK Border Agency officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.