More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A lorry driver who tried to enter Britain with a multi-million pound stash of cocaine hidden among toy bricks has admitted the crime.
Marek Wisniewski, 45, from Bytom, Poland, had attempted to import 80 kilos of Class A drugs – a potential street value of an estimated £8.1 million – via the Port of Dover.
But his Polish registered lorry was stopped in its tracks by Border Force officers as it passed through the Eastern Docks on May 29.
When searching the vehicle they found blocks of cocaine stuffed in holdall bags. The bags were hidden behind pallets, amongst boxes of toy bricks that were destined for a company address in Cambridgeshire.
Wisniewski had started his journey from Poland and told officers that he didn’t know how the drugs had got there.
He appeared before Margate Magistrates Court on May 30 and was remanded in custody until the hearing at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday when he pleaded guilty.
He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, July 9.
National Crime Agency Dover Branch Commander Martin Grace said: “Serious and organised crime networks rely on people like Wisniewski to carry out the leg work and now he’ll have to face the consequences.
“The profit that can be made from drugs mean criminals will try almost anything to smuggle their product into the country and evade detection.
“Working with partners like Border Force, we’ve been able to stop this cocaine reaching the streets of the UK and caused disruption to the group behind it.”
David Smith, Border Force regional director, said: “Illegal drugs have a significant impact on our society, being the root cause behind countless burglaries, thefts and robberies.
"They are also used as a commodity by organised criminals linked to violence and exploitation of the vulnerable.
“Border Force will continue to work with our law enforcement partners at the NCA to bring offenders like Wisnieskwi to justice and to disrupt the workings of organised criminal groups in the UK.”
