A KENT customs officer and his colleagues who smashed a £600,00 drugs operation have been commended by a judge.

After jailing a drugs mastermind for 20 years, Judge Anthony Webb praised Keith Ferguson and his team for their work.

He said the officer deserved praised after giving evidence at Canterbury Crown Court within days of a personal bereavement.

The judge added: "I think the fact that he returned to court to give evidence within days of the death is a matter deserving of particular note."

Now smuggler George Taylor, of The Poplars, London Road, Wrotham, is expected to be questioned by murder detectives over the shooting of a co-accused.

Taylor, 49, claimed during his four-week trial that he was duped by Kenneth Harvey over a £500,000 drugs operation.

But the jury - who found him guilty - was then told that Harvey had been murdered before coming to trial.

Now Taylor could face questioning over the gunning down of Harvey - who was also charged with drugs smuggling - in Battle.

Prosecutor John Dodd told them: "On August 18, Harvey, who had been arrested and charged - was shot dead. Investigations into his murder continue."

Customs officials had been following haulier Taylor when he made a trip to Zeebrugge on January 13 2003 in his Mercedes.

The court heard how at a Total garage he met up with the driver of lorry and a trailer.

Taylor then shadowed the trailer towards Calais and when it reached the freight lanes, he diverted to Coquelles.

Customs officers searched the lorry and discovered almost 10 kg of pure Cocaine hidden in the axles.

Mr Dodd said the Class A drug - with a street value between £500,00 to £600,000 - had been placed inside specially made cylinders, which had been ordered by Taylor.

The jury heard how in 2002, he had been trading from home as JJOG Transport.

In October he contacted Amari Metals at Swanley, handing over £90 for a quantity of aluminium tubing.

Later the same month, Taylor commissioned Goodland Engineering at Tonbridge to make 12 cylinders to very precise specifications and six of these were found in the trailer.

Taylor, who had denied smuggling the drugs - had told Goodland Engineering that the tubes were to transport computer chips for a client and because of their sensitivity to shock, he had the cylinders made which could be packed with sand to protect them.

On November 4, he returned to Goodland Engineering with a prototype of a tool he wanted them to make - and customs officials discovered the tool inside his car when he was arrested as he sat in the Mercedes at the tunnel terminal at Cheriton.

Father of five Taylor has already served jail sentences for drugs offences - and still owes Customs more than £400,000 from the 1990s

Mr Dodd added that in 1991, Taylor used his expertise and adapted fuel tanks to smuggle cannabis into the UK.

But Taylor wasn't tried until 1995 after he "decamped" to Spain and had to be extradited - and was then give a seven and a half year jail sentence.

Judge Anthony Webb told him: "The jury has now rejected the evidence you gave. You were clearly the organisor of this importation."

He said four days before the drugs were found he had gone to Spain "to make the final arrangements".

Two days before his arrest, he had used one of his young sons as a cover for making another trip abroad to ensure the drugs were in place. "This was an extremely sophisticated operation," the judge added.

Taylor remained impassive as he was jailed for 20 years.