A 'trainee shaman' has been jailed after kilos of a Class A psychedelic drug were posted from a 'medicine man' in Peru to his home in the Midlands.
Scott Kinta had six packages sent to his former home in New Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, with the parcels intercepted by Border Force officers at Coventry Airport last year.
Each of the packages contained around four kilograms of N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a Class A drug. A further package, which had been sent by Kinta to an address in Texas, was also intercepted.
Home laboratory discovered
The discoveries prompted officers to raid Kinta's home, where they uncovered what police described as a 'home laboratory' in a front bedroom. The room contained a forensic unit, bottles, jars, petri dishes, syringes, scales and packaging materials.
Similar items were also found elsewhere in the property, giving officers further evidence of Kinta's alleged involvement with the drugs.
Police then examined Kinta's mobile phone and found incriminating conversations with a contact.
Guilty plea and sentencing
Kinta later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class A drug. He told police that the drugs had been imported from a 'medicine man' in Peru.
Kinta said he had agreed to receive the packages in return for future training in shamanic and tribal healing practices.
His unusual explanation formed part of the circumstances surrounding the case, with police later warning of the serious consequences of importing and exporting Class A drugs.
Kinta, of Yorke Street, Mansfield Woodhouse, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, September 28. He was jailed for five years.
Police warn of severe punishments
Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Joel Hughes said people involved in importing illegal drugs were normally more cautious when conducting their business.
He said: "For obvious reasons, people involved in the importation of illegal drugs are usually more cautious when doing business. Kinta, however, was literally having packages of Class A drugs delivered to his own front door and was similarly open in sending the drugs on from his local Post Office.
"He may well have been motivated by his interest in shamanic rituals but, as he has just discovered to his cost, the punishments for importing and exporting Class A drugs will always be very severe."
The case involved packages travelling thousands of miles from Peru before being intercepted by Border Force officers at Coventry Airport. Officers were then able to link the parcels to Kinta's former address and carry out further enquiries.
The contents of the packages, along with the equipment found inside his home, helped investigators build a case against him.
The court heard how Kinta's interest in shamanic and tribal healing practices had been connected to his explanation for receiving the drugs from Peru. However, he was ultimately convicted of offences relating to the supply and importation of Class A drugs and sentenced to five years in prison.
