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Man charged after cocaine found inside chocolates
27 January 2012
A Spanish man has been charged after cocaine was found hidden inside different types of chocolate confectionary.
Ivan Sacido, 39, of Madrid, was arrested on Wednesday 25 January after arriving on a flight from Trinidad and Tobago.
Officers at Gatwick airport's North Terminal found the drugs packed between layers of chocolate inside bars and confectionary.
The items were discovered in 2 bin liners packed inside a wheelie suitcase. Approximately 2.5kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of £100,000 was found.
Mr Sacido was charged with attempting to import a class A substance and appeared before Croydon magistrates' court yesterday. He was remanded in custody until his next appearance before the same court on 3 February.
Simon Eglesfield, assistant director for the UK Border Agency at Gatwick Airport, said:
'You would not expect to find a haul of illegal drugs inside bars of chocolate, but our officers are trained to expect the unexpected.
'As this detection shows, our officers are on constant alert to keep class A drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.
'We are determined to prevent this terrible trade which can have such a destructive impact on the lives of so many.'
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to drug smuggling can call the smuggling hotline on 0800 59 5000.