Man Jailed For Cocaine Smuggling At Dover

A 48 year-old man from Prestwich, Manchester has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling two kilos of cocaine into the UK through Dover. The drugs had an estimated street value of £79,600.

Alan Hughes was travelling as a passenger in a UK registered lorry that had arrived on a ferry from Dunkirk on 15 February 2011 when it was stopped by UK Border Agency officers at Dover's Eastern docks. Officers initially searched the vehicle and then searched Hughes.

During the search officers found he had two packages taped to his body. On investigation the packages contained a white powder which gave a positive reaction to a test for cocaine.

Hughes pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court on 1 August and was sentenced there today.

Malcolm Bragg, UK Border Agency's Criminal and Financial Assistant Director, said: "The sentence handed down today should act as a warning to those who attempt to smuggle illegal drugs into this country.

"The seizure of these drugs reflects the robust controls we have in place at the UK border which are backed by dedicated criminal investigation teams.

"Cocaine use destroys not only the lives of individual users, but also their families and the wider community."