A lorry driver from Kent has been jailed for smuggling cocaine into the UK through the Port of Dover.

Jeffrey Nethercott, 49, from Queenborough, was arrested at the Port of Dover in March 2014 when he was caught smuggling 19 kilos of cocaine into the UK in a lorry filled with meat and meat hooks.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison at the Old Bailey yesterday.

His arrest was a result of intelligence gained from a National Crime Agency investigation into the supply of drugs.

NCA Operations Manager Colin Williams said: "Nethercott thought he could smuggle cocaine worth millions into the UK but we were ready and waiting for him at the port.

"We will continue to disrupt the activities of criminals who seek to unlawfully import and distribute drugs throughout the UK.”

NCA investigators and Border Force officers were waiting for Nethercott to arrive and discovered the cocaine, with a potential street value of £2.2 million.

It was hidden between plastic trays in a storage locker attached to the underside of the lorry. Some were marked "breekbaar" - Dutch for "fragile."

Nethercott was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine on January 8, 2015.

Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe, said: "We welcome the sentence handed out in this case. Working with our colleagues at the NCA, Border Force is at the forefront of the fight to stop drugs entering the UK.”

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