A lorry driver with more than £2.5m of heroin "openly on display" in his cab, split between a cool bag, holdall and in his bunkbed, has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years.

Sebastian Iszlzylowicz, 28, was stopped at Dover docks on April 22 and his "quite valuable" 25kg consignment was found divided up into 1kg packages.

Canterbury Crown Court heard four were in a yellow cool bag, 10 in the black holdall, and the remainder behind the lining of the bed area.

The Polish national, who was carrying a load of bread in his trailer, denied knowing about the heroin.

But a judge told him the fact the drugs had not been secreted in his truck suggested he had been "trusted not to panic" at the size of the illicit cargo he was carrying and had "some understanding and awareness" of the scale of the operation.

Iszlzylowicz had pleaded not guilty to drug smuggling but was convicted by a jury on Thursday (October 19) after a three-day trial.

On sentencing, Judge Mark Weekes concluded that Iszlyzlowicz's motive was financial reward.

At the time of the offence he was going through a divorce - his marriage having failed after just six weeks - and was living in his cab having been recently released from prison for breaching a community order in his native country.

The court also heard of Iszlyzlowicz's childhood, including the long-standing "mysterious" disappearance of his sister when she was just nine-years-old.

Kieran Brand, defending, asked that the HGV driver’s "rather sad personal story" be taken into account on sentencing, adding: "He had a difficult upbringing to say the least. He is one of three (children) and his elder sister went missing in 1999.

“She has never been found, it remains a mystery in Poland, and that had a significant impact on the family.”

But Judge Weekes told Iszlyzlowicz that although the loss of his sibling would have "undoubtedly cast a long shadow over his young life", a substantial jail term was demanded.

"You were convicted on, quite frankly, overwhelming evidence and it's a source of some considerable regret that you were not able to see what was staring you in the face - that you were caught red-handed," he said.

Describing the "crime, misery, exploitation and ultimately death" resulting from drugs, the judge continued: "It is for that reason the courts of this country must take a very hard line so far as sentencing is concerned to punish those who seek to circumvent the restrictions but also so the message goes out that those who seek to traffic in misery should expect lengthy sentences of imprisonment."

National Crime Agency senior investigating officer Daren Nicholls said after the hearing: “Heroin smugglers like Sebastian Iszczylowicz play a crucial role within international organised crime groups, fuelling violence and exploitation here on our streets.

“Working with our Border Force colleagues we were able to bring him to justice and keep the public safe.

“The sentence handed down here should serve as a warning to other would-be couriers who might consider getting involved in drug smuggling – it isn’t worth the risk.”