Lancashire Dad Jailed Over £2 Million Heroin Haul in Campervan
A 42-year-old man from Ormskirk, Lancashire, has been locked up for over six years after trying to smuggle nearly £2 million worth of heroin into the UK inside his campervan.
Christmas Family Trip or Drug Run?
Michael Sloan was stopped at Dover Eastern Docks just two days before Christmas 2019. He was travelling with his partner and three young kids, aged one to six, claiming they were returning from a festive trip to the Cologne Christmas Market.
But Border Force officers weren’t convinced. They deployed a drug detection dog, which sniffed out hidden packages of heroin concealed in a storage compartment at the back of the campervan. Nearly 20 kilograms of the deadly drug were discovered.
£2 Million Worth of Pure Heroin Found
Forensic tests by the National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed the heroin was between 44 and 59 percent pure. Once cut and sold on the streets, it was estimated to be worth a staggering £1.98 million.
Experts also found the secret compartment was built after Sloan bought the van — a clear sign the whole thing was planned to smuggle drugs.
Sloan’s Guilty Plea Lands Him More Than 6 Years Behind Bars
On Monday 8 November, Sloan pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court to smuggling Class A drugs. The judge sentenced him to six years and four months in prison.
NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes said: “This was a cynical attempt to bring dangerous class A drugs into the UK, which saw Sloan use his partner and young children as cover for his drug smuggling exploits. I’ve no doubt that the concealment in the van was built specifically for the purpose of smuggling, and that Sloan thought that travelling with his family would make it less likely they would be stopped.”
“Heroin is closely linked to county lines type exploitation and violence, which is why we are working closely with partners like Border Force to target those trying to bring it in.”
