Drug Smuggler’s Plane Seized and Sold for £29k in Proceeds of Crime Auction
£2.4m Cocaine Haul and 23-Year Sentence
A light aircraft used to smuggle £2.4 million worth of cocaine into the UK has been sold for a mere £29,000. The plane belonged to Dutch drug smuggler John Buwalda, who was jailed for 23 years back in 2017 after a joint operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Metropolitan Police.
Hefty Fines on Top of Prison Time
Besides his lengthy jail term, Buwalda was also slapped with a bill of over £400,000. This wasn’t just for the plane—authorities uncovered his connections to another aircraft and 16 rental properties in the Netherlands, all part of his illicit earnings.
Public Purse Gets a Boost
The £29,000 raised from the plane’s sale at the proceeds of crime auction will now be returned to the public purse, helping to fund further law enforcement efforts in the fight against drug trafficking.
