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Man jailed for smuggling cannabis in baby milk
30 January 2012
A Polish lorry driver, resident in the Republic of Ireland, has been sentenced to four-and-half years' imprisonment for attempting to import 51kg of herbal cannabis into the UK.
Canterbury crown court heard that Lukasz Rogaczewski was arrested on 20 May 2011 at the inward freight controls at Dover's eastern docks. The drugs had an estimated street value of £350,000.
UK Border Agency officers had searched the Mercedes sprinter van he was driving, which was loaded with powdered baby milk. They found 51kg of herbal cannabis hidden within the tins in vacuum sealed bags.
After denying drug smuggling, Rogaczewski was found guilty by a jury at Canterbury crown court on 26 January 2012 and was sentenced there the same day.
Malcolm Bragg, the UK Border Agency's Criminal and financial assistant director, said.
'This is a strong warning to anyone who believes drug smuggling is acceptable. Clearly, the view of the courts is that it is a very serious matter, and UK Border Agency officers will remain vigilant at all our ports and airports to prevent drugs reaching our streets.
'Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to drug smuggling should call our hotline on 0800 59 5000.'
UK Border Agency officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers try to bring into the country. They also use an array of search techniques including sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners as well as visual searches to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and cigarettes which would otherwise end up causing harm to local people, businesses and communities.