A Polish lorry driver transporting a load of Kim Kardashian's Skims underwear and clothing has been sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison after concealing £7 million worth of cocaine in the rear doors of his HGV.
Details of the case
Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was stopped by Border Force at Harwich port in Essex on September 5 last year, having arrived on a ferry from the Netherlands. The vehicle contained a legitimate shipment of 28 pallets of Skims apparel. However, without the knowledge of the importer or exporter, Konkel had collected 90kg of cocaine during his journey.
The class A drug was divided into 1kg packages and hidden in a specially constructed compartment within the skin of the rear trailer doors.
Sentencing and admissions
At Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, Konkel was sentenced for drug smuggling. During interviews, he confessed to agreeing to transport the cocaine in exchange for 4,500 euros (approximately £3,914).
Paul Orchard, operations manager at the National Crime Agency (NCA), stated: “Organised crime groups use corrupt drivers like Konkel to move class A drugs, often hidden on entirely legitimate loads such as this. The detection and investigation have removed a significant amount of cocaine whose profits are lost to the crime group behind the smuggling attempt, and with Konkel they’ve lost an important enabler. The NCA works with partners at home and abroad to protect the public from the threat of class A drugs, which are at the epicentre of huge amounts of crime and suffering in UK communities.”
Jason Thorn, Border Force assistant director, added: “These drugs destroy lives and inflict misery on our communities. This significant interception is testament to the brilliant work of Border Force, depriving criminal networks of millions in profit.”
