UK Border Agency reveals 2010's most unusual drug concealments

The UK Border Agency has published a round-up of 10 of 2010's more unusual drug concealments, to raise awareness of the severe penalties imposed on smugglers and the skills and technology used by our officers to keep drugs out of the country.
Brodie Clark, head of border force, said: 'These smuggling attempts show the lengths that organised criminals will go to in a bid to get drugs into the UK. 'Criminals are prepared to invest large sums of money to come up with ever better concealment methods because they know the potential profits from the awful trade in harmful drugs are considerable. 'However, the smugglers are no match for the skill of our officers and the state-of-the-art technology at their disposal. 'Our most important weapon in the fight against drug smuggling is intelligence. I would urge anyone with information that might be useful to the UK Border Agency to phone our hotline on 0800 59 5000.' On 16 March, 1.1kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of £270,000, was found concealed in packets of peanuts and cashew nuts in freight at Gatwick Airport. The drugs had been sent from Jamaica. The discovery led to the arrest of 50-year-old Neville Emmanuel Williams, from Cecil Street in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, who pleaded guilty to drug smuggling and was jailed for 7 years.With a street value of £6.7 million, 33kg of cocaine was found within metal drums containing powdered nuts on 17 May. The airfreight consignment, with a gross weight of 1,400kg, was examined in transit while at Heathrow. It had originated in Mexico and was destined for an address in Melbourne, Australia. Working with the Australian Federal Police, officers from the UK Border Agency sent a dummy shipment to the addressee. Once the drums were opened, police moved in and arrested 5 men (4 Americans and 1 Australian).Nearly 80kg of heroin, with a street value of over £5 million, was discovered in a lorry at Humber Sea Terminal, South Killingholme, leading to the conviction of 2 men from the Netherlands. The 52-year-old passenger, Mathieu Poulissen, had 10kg of the drug strapped to his body, while the remainder was hidden in the fridge motor of the refrigerated vehicle, and in the rear bulkhead and roof space of the cab. The 39-year-old driver, Marcel Rietman, pleaded guilty and received an 18-year sentence, while the passenger was found guilty following a 5-day trial and sentenced to 20 years on 18 June.With a street value of £2,850, 1kg of cannabis was found concealed within a wooden framed painting of footballer Emmanuel Adebayor at Coventry International Postal Hub on 29 June. The painting was sent from Togo and was destined for an address in Tottenham, North London. Investigations are ongoing.
In August, an estimated 10kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of £0.5 million, was found hidden in yams on board a freight flight at Kent International Airport (Manston) which originated in Ghana. The vegetables had been cut open to conceal the Class A drugs and glued back together. Investigations are ongoing.
A 72-year-old man from Wellingborough, David Pryor of Priory Road, was arrested at Heathrow Terminal 5 on 5 September after arriving on a flight from Tanzania. His luggage was searched by officers from the UK Border Agency, who found 3 woven baskets. They cut into the weave and unearthed around 4kg of heroin which a street value of £100,000. The man pleaded guilty in November and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 10 January.Around 1kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of around £70,000, was discovered inside glass ornaments at Coventry International Postal Hub on 11 August. Rather than being moulded inside the decorative objects - which included love hearts, chickens and miniature bottles - the powdered drugs appear to have been loosely scattered in air pockets. The parcel was sent from Peru and destined for an address in St Paul's, Bristol. Investigations are ongoing.Worth up to £40,000, 110g of cocaine was found hidden in a birthday card destined for an address in Belfast. A 21-year-old woman from Glengormley was arrested on 18 November and released on bail pending further enquiries.On 11 December, a British man and woman arrived in the UK from Amsterdam and were arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 0.5kg of heroin, with an estimated street value of £22,000. They are both believed to have swallowed packages of drugs, with further quantities stuffed inside them. After 8 days, the woman had to be hospitalised and operated on to remove drugs from her body. Both have been charged and remanded in custody.A 45-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago was arrested shortly after he arrived at Gatwick Airport on 17 December. David Louis Woods was subsequently charged with drugs importation offences after 1kg of liquid cocaine was found inside 2 bottles of Baileys. The self-employed mechanic has been remanded in custody.

The UK Border Agency uses a range of methods to detect drugs being smuggled through ports, airports and postal sorting offices across the UK. These include:
intelligence - we work closely with police forces, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and overseas law enforcement bodies to gather information about potential drug trafficking routes and would-be smugglers, as well as acting on information provided by the general public;

sniffer dogs - detection dogs are trained to identify the scent of particular drugs, and even cash, to intercept illegal contraband;

X-ray machines - these are deployed to spot anomalies in luggage or parcels that might reveal hidden drugs;

Iontrack and Ionscan - these machines analyse swabs taken from a passenger's baggage to detect traces of drugs; and conpass machines - these low-dose radiation body-scanners are used on 'swallowers' or 'stuffers' suspected to have concealed drugs internally. Suspects have the right to refuse a scan or a hospital X-ray - but if they do so, they are likely to be kept in detention until nature takes its course.

With Thanks to UK Border Agency.
Regards
Gurbinder Sharma
Investigator CCHR.ORG