A van driver who claimed he was delivering a hot tub has been jailed for smuggling cannabis worth £220,000 into Northern Ireland. Paulius Andrulis was arrested in Belfast on June 15 last year after arriving on a sailing from Cairnryan.
Discovery of hidden drugs
The 37-year-old Lithuanian national was questioned by Border Force officers about his movements following a National Crime Agency investigation. Andrulis told them he was delivering a hot tub to an address in Mullingar in the Republic of Ireland.
Officers searched the vehicle and discovered a purpose-built hide in the roof containing 27.5 kilos of herbal cannabis. The hide ran the length of the van's roof, with access through the top of the van's rear doors.
Arrest and court proceedings
Andrulis was arrested the following day on suspicion of possessing a controlled drug with intent to supply. In interview, he claimed he was asked to drop the van at the address and it would then be returned to him hours later with the hot tub removed. He denied any knowledge of drugs and said he had been asked to make the delivery by a man he knew as 'Sprite'.
Andrulis appeared at Laganside Crown Court on June 29, where he admitted the offence. He was sentenced to two years and two months in prison at the same court on Tuesday, August 11.
Official statements
NCA Branch Commander David Cunningham said: "Paulius Andrulis went to great lengths to hide this haul of drugs in his van, with a specialist hide running the length of the roof. He denied any knowledge of these drugs but our investigation showed he had likely been involved in a number of previous smuggling runs and his account at interview lacked credibility. We are grateful to our partners at Border Force who discovered these drugs. The NCA will continue to do all we can to stop drugs being smuggled into Northern Ireland and across the border."
John-Jo Oldham, Assistant Director, Border Force Northern Ireland, said: "This expert interception demonstrates that Border Force is relentless in combatting drug smuggling. These drugs destroy lives, inflicts misery on our communities and fuels further offending. We continue to work round the clock to pursue criminality, protect the UK's borders and keep these dangerous drugs off our streets."
