A lorry driver who smuggled £7.2 million worth of cocaine concealed within a shipment of Kim Kardashian's Skims underwear has been sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison. Jakub Jan Konkel, a 40-year-old Polish national, hid 90 packages, each containing 1 kilogram of cocaine, in a specially adapted truck that was transporting pallets of Skims shapewear clothing.
Discovery at the Port of Harwich
Border Force officers intercepted Konkel on September 5 as he arrived at the Port of Harwich in Essex on a ferry from the Hook of Holland. An X-ray examination of the heavy goods vehicle revealed 28 pallets of legitimate clothing from the company co-owned by the reality star. However, it also uncovered that the truck had been modified with a concealed compartment built into the skin of the rear trailer doors.
Investigation and Evidence
Investigators utilized Konkel's tachograph—a device that automatically records distance and driver activity in commercial vehicles—to determine that he had made a 16-minute stop during his journey. They believe this is when the drugs were loaded onto the vehicle. Initially, Konkel, from Kartuzy in northern Poland, denied any knowledge of the Class A drugs. However, he eventually pleaded guilty to drug smuggling, confessing that he had agreed to transport the drugs for a payment of £3,918 (€4,500).
Court Proceedings
At Chelmsford Crown Court, Konkel wept in the dock as he was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison. Judge Richard Wilkin stated that Konkel had offered himself as a 'willing driver' to collect the drugs from an industrial estate in Belgium. The judge remarked, 'Your role was not peripheral or limited. It was a significant role in this large-scale, commercial operation.'
Officers had become suspicious of Konkel's driving behavior and decided to X-ray the lorry at the port. A mobile phone linked to the drug supply was found in the vehicle, which had been set to automatically wipe its data after 18 hours. James Gray, defending, told the court that his client accepted what he had done.
Wider Criminal Network
The National Crime Agency (NCA) discovered that neither the exporter nor the importer of the legitimate goods were connected to the smuggled load. However, they believe Konkel was working with a wider organized crime gang. He will be deported after serving his sentence.
NCA Statement
Following the sentencing, NCA operations manager Paul Orchard said: '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.'
Orchard added: '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.'
