Van Driver Nabbed Smuggling £2.4M of Cocaine in Fuel Tank
A Lithuanian van driver was caught red-handed trying to sneak £2.4 million worth of cocaine into the UK – cleverly hidden inside his vehicle’s fuel tank.
Border Force Spot Drug Smuggling Trick
Ernestas Rekstys, 34, was stopped at dover/" title="Dover" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Dover port on 16 October after Border Force officers noticed something suspicious during a vehicle scan.
When the fuel tank was dismantled, officers discovered 30kg of cocaine packets floating in the fuel – a stash valued at £2.4 million on the streets.
Driver Changes Story, Gets Nearly 10 Years
Initially, Rekstys claimed he’d only borrowed the van and knew nothing of the drugs. But he later admitted guilt at Canterbury Crown Court on 15 November.
Today (30 November), he was sentenced to nine years and nine months behind bars.
NCA Vows to Keep Fighting Drug Gangs
“This was a significant amount of cocaine and the profits from this importation would only have caused further criminality when distributed,” said NCA Senior Investigating Officer Daren Nicholls.
“The NCA will continue to work with our partners including Border Force to stop the smugglers who work for organised crime groups intent on bringing drugs into the UK.”
