The driver was sentenced to 7 and a half years.
A lorry driver is behind bars after he was caught trying to smuggle £480,000 worth of cocaine into the UK while delivering frozen potatoes.
Bryan Anthony Hughes, from Ballymena, County Antrim, was stopped at the UK inbound border in Coquelles, France, on October 16 last year.His cab was then searched and officers found eight kilos of cocaine hidden in baggage and inside a locker, the National Crime Agency said.Officers found Hughes had travelled from the Netherlands, having collected a legitimate cargo of frozen potatoes for delivery in the north west of England.
He made no comment when interviewed by officers, but the NCA said he later pleaded guilty to importing a Class A drug at Canterbury Crown Court on December 2.Mark Howes, NCA branch commander, said: ‘This quantity of cocaine would generate significant revenue on UK streets, so this seizure will cause a dent in the profits of the organised crime group it was destined for.
‘Criminal groups use smugglers like Hughes to bring their drugs into the UK and our message to anyone tempted to try and make what they may consider easy money through smuggling is that you will be caught. ‘We work closely with our partners, including Border Force, to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the UK and will continue to prosecute those involved.’
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