Ex-Heathrow Security Boss Jailed for 16 Years Over £2M Cocaine Smuggling Plot
A former Heathrow Airport security manager has been jailed for over 16 years for his pivotal role in a £2 million cocaine smuggling operation from Colombia to the UK.
Junaed Dar, 47, of Randolph Road, Slough, was sentenced to 16 and a half years in prison at Kingston Crown Court on Monday, 4 August, following a detailed investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Dar, who abused his position of trust, helped two couriers—Michael Williams, 39, and Jessica Waldron, 38, both from %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_0%%—smuggle 22kg of Class A cocaine through Terminal 2B at %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_1%% on 14 December 2019.
Smuggling Plot Foiled by Joint Operation
Williams and Waldron had travelled from Bogotá, Colombia, with the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_2%% concealed in their checked-in luggage. However, a coordinated operation between Colombian police and the NCA intercepted the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_3%% at the source.
Officers in Bogotá removed the cocaine and replaced it with blocks of wood before allowing the luggage to proceed. Upon arrival at Heathrow, Dar—who had entered the airport hours before his scheduled shift—met the couriers and escorted them to the toilets where he took possession of the bags.
Dar was then arrested by waiting %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_4%% officers as he tried to leave with the substituted luggage, while Border Force detained the couriers.
Williams and Waldron pleaded guilty in 2022 to attempting to import Class A drugs and were sentenced to six years and eight months each.
Organisers Jailed for 14 Years
Two other men, Ruford Davis, 55, and David Farquharson, 53, were also found guilty of orchestrating the logistics of the smuggling attempt. The duo, from Dudley and Wednesbury respectively, used encrypted messaging to coordinate with Waldron and Dar. Both were sentenced to 14 and a half years in prison.
"A Gross Betrayal of Trust"
Mark Abbott, Operations Manager at the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_5%%, said:
Dar committed a %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_6%% betrayal of trust by playing a crucial role in this conspiracy which started in South America and would have ended with violent street gangs in UK towns and cities.
“Organised crime groups rely on corrupt insiders like Dar to move illegal commodities. As an airport security manager, he had the access and ability to bypass controls. His actions were a serious threat to public safety.”
Abbott added that %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_7%% and Border Force fully supported the operation, with ongoing joint efforts to combat insider threats and prevent the smuggling of Class A drugs into the UK.
