A man has been jailed after admitting attempting to smuggle around 35 kilos of cannabis into Britain.

Cliffe Barnard, 54, pictured here, was locked up for three years, after he tried to smuggle the drug, which an estimated street value of £718,000 into the UK via the Channel Tunnel.

He was stopped in July in Coqulles, France, by officers from the Border Force Agency.

Barnard, who lived in Nile Road, Gillingham, was driving a UK-registered Mercedes van when he was stopped on July 9.

After officers questioned Barnard, he told them he owned the vehicle and that he was carrying household furniture from Belgium to Essex.

Officers then searched the van and its load and found the drugs inside three boxes hidden within a large piece of wooden furniture.

Barnard pleaded guilty to the offence at Canterbury Crown Court on Monday, September 2, and was sentenced there on Friday, September 6.

Malcolm Bragg from Border Force, said: “Border Force officers work round the clock, using the latest technology and their own experience and expertise to prevent illegal drugs reaching UK streets and make life as difficult as possible for those who seek to profit from this vile trade.

“This sentence should serve as a warning to anyone involved in drug smuggling. We will catch you and you will pay a heavy penalty.”

• Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call the hotline on 0800 595000.