Men jailed after £1.5m heroin smuggling attempt through Dover

Two men have been jailed for a total of 14 years after pleading guilty to smuggling approximately 13 kilos of heroin at 100% purity into the UK through Dover. The drugs had an estimated street value of over £1.5 million.

UK Border Agency officers stopped Jeffery Green when he arrived at Dover on 28 June 2011. After questioning Green, who said he had been to Belgium on business, officers used a Detector dog to search the MG motor car he was driving.

Behind a panel to the rear of the seats where the fuel tank was located they found approximately 13 kilos of heroin. Green was arrested for the attempted importation and pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown court on 5 September 2011. On 4 October, again at Canterbury, he also pleaded guilty to a second charge of conspiracy to import the drugs.

Further investigations by the Agency discovered that Paul Gleeson had purchased the car Green was driving when stopped at Dover. He pleaded guilty to the importation on 22 December 2011 at Canterbury Crown Court.

Green was sentenced to seven years imprisonment at Canterbury Crown Court on Monday 12 March 2012 and Gleeson also received seven years at the same court yesterday (14 March).

Malcolm Bragg, assistant director of the UK Border Agency's criminal and financial investigation team, said: ""Drug smuggling is a vile business that exploits the misery of others for an easy profit. Heroin destroys the lives not only of users, but also their families and the surrounding community.

"The sentence handed down today should act as a warning to those who attempt to smuggle illegal drugs into this country. The message is clear - if you are involved in drug smuggling we will catch you and you will go to jail for a long time."