In what 43-year old Philip Tasker described a load of 'dodgy bacon' he was transporting from Belgium, UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers actually found 126 packages of heroin. Following the seizure of the heroin at Dover on 17 October 2008 he continued to maintain his innocence, however a jury at Canterbury Crown Court thought otherwise.
Investigations by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) led to 41-year old Southport-based Darren Hunter who had masterminded the trip, and he pleaded guilty to being involved in the scandalous plot.
Tasker and Hunter were sentenced to 18 and 13 years respectively for knowingly importing heroin.
Packets of herion found in van load of bacon.
The van Philip Tasker was driving which had £3m worth of heroin inside.
It is rather concerning that of the 62.62kg of heroin seized, 24.11kg of it was 100% pure, which begs the question what other nasty substances could the product be made up of. I shudder to think.
HMRC assistant director of criminal investigation, Malcolm Bragg says:
"This dangerous Class A drug devastates lives and communities, as it is always linked to wider criminality."
Last month an Irish trucker was jailed for 16 years for attempting to smuggle £2.5m worth of heroin and cannabis into the UK in a lorry load of fresh flowers.
Just why do people do this? Surely the big bucks will be made by the dealer who distributes in the UK, and not the HGV driver who could end up paying the price with a prison stretch.
Has anyone in your company been caught transporting dodgy goods into the UK and what are the real motives? Is it the necessity to desperately make money... or is it the belief that nine time out of 10 dodgy dealings will go undetected? I want to hear your thoughts...
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