Displaying items by tag: drug smuggling

Five men have been arrested following the seizure of cannabis worth £5 million at Birmingham Airport. National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators and police apprehended the individuals, aged between 21 and 27, in Luton and London. The arrests are linked to a smuggling attempt in August, involving over half a tonne of cannabis flown into the UK from Thailand via Paris. Eleven passengers were initially detained and released on bail pending further investigations. The NCA has warned travellers arriving from countries where cannabis is legal that they face jail time if caught smuggling the drug into the UK. Cannabis seizures in the UK have tripled from 2023 to 2024, driven by organised crime groups seeking higher profits. These gangs exploit couriers for financial gain, with little regard for their safety or freedom.

Jamie Stevenson, one of the UK's most wanted men, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for masterminding a plot to smuggle nearly a tonne of cocaine from Ecuador to Scotland, hidden in a banana shipment. Known as 'Iceman,' Stevenson pleaded guilty to directing the drug operation, which was intercepted by Border Force at Dover in 2020. The cocaine, valued between £76 million and £100 million, was addressed to a Glasgow fruit merchant. Stevenson was also involved in producing and supplying the drug etizolam. His arrest was part of Operation Pepperoni, which targeted criminal activities on the encrypted communication platform EncroChat. Stevenson fled the UK but was arrested in the Netherlands in 2022 and extradited. Authorities praised the investigation that brought him to justice, emphasising the harmful impact of his criminal activities on communities. His conviction highlights the ongoing battle against organised crime in the UK: others involved in the crime were also sentenced.

Customs officers in San Diego have seized over $5 million worth of methamphetamines (often known as crystal meth) disguised as watermelons. A 29-year-old man attempted to smuggle the drugs across the US-Mexico border. However, further inspection revealed 1,220 packages wrapped to resemble watermelons, containing 2,080 kg of methamphetamine. This seizure highlights the evolving smuggling techniques used by drug cartels. The officers confiscated the drugs and the tractor-trailer, handing the driver over to Homeland Security Investigations. They were commended for their diligence in intercepting these sophisticated smuggling efforts. This success follows the recent seizure of 285 kg of meth hidden among celery, demonstrating the ongoing battle against drug trafficking.

The EU, along with European port authorities, has launched a new public-private alliance aimed at combating drug smuggling and organised crime. This initiative comes as the EU faces record levels of cocaine seizures, with over 300 metric tons seized every year. The home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, said, ‘Europe has a huge problem of organised crime, and we know its source of income is drugs’. Nearly 70% of all drug seizures by customs occur at ports, making them a crucial focus for tackling drug trafficking. The partnership, which involves Europol and Eurojust, will allocate 200 million euros to support EU customs, raise awareness, and assist port authorities in addressing this problem. It will aim to enhance security and protect port workers from criminal threats and exploitation.

Border Force stopped a lorry on its way to Kent through the Channel Tunnel carrying cocaine with a street value of £33m concealed in a 418kg load of frozen onion rings. Lorry driver Piotr Perzenowski, 30, from Poland, was charged with smuggling Class A drugs and is remanded in custody until 13 December. See Also appearing in court on that day is a 19-year-old suspected county line drug dealer caught by Kent police, who seized heroin, cocaine, cash and criminal property.  Also, ‘Happy Families’ smuggler Michael Sloan was jailed this week after heroin worth £2m was seized from his camper van as he and his family returned to Dover Eastern Docks from Europe. Forensic experts said the heroin was between 44% and 59% pure, and once adulterated would value £1.98 million. Heroin is closely linked to county lines’ type exploitation and violence.

Chaos in the wings, lack of respect from management, and absence of support are among the reasons for the surge in prison officers resigning. 33% of outgoing officers in the past 12 months had been in the service for less than a year, prompting concerns that the crisis in UK jails is being exacerbated by dwindling retention rates. Critics of the system say that the new officers are not adequately trained and are forced into challenging and sometimes dangerous situations before they are prepared or equipped to do so, leading to them quitting within months. Rory Stewart, the minister of state for justice, said recently that ‘drug-fuelled prison violence is affecting up to 20 jails’: see Also a recent BBC report stated that hundreds of prison staff have been caught smuggling banned items into prisons. The Prison Officers Association said the value of the drug market in jail is around £100m. Low-paid staff are enticed and paid handsomely to smuggle drugs. See