Skip to main content

Customs officers discovered cocaine, said to be 70 per cent pure, as they were being sent through the post from Brazil

Customs officers discovered the drugs, said to be 70 per cent pure, as they were being sent through the post from Brazil.cocaine with an estimated street value of up to £400,000 destined for the streets of the West Midlands has been found in bottles of cosmetics. Customs officers discovered the drugs, said to be 70 per cent pure, as they were being sent through the post from Brazil.Devious drugs smugglers had used a chemical process to suspend the cocaine in the cosmetics in an attempt to get the drugs onto the region's streets.But suspicious officers decided to test the liquid when it arrived in two separate shipments during the past month.A tell-tale blue circle indicated the bottles actually contained the drugs.In total they found more than a kilo and a half of cocaine in one consignment with an estimated street value of around £80,000.The second consignment contained a further kilo of cocaine with a street value of more than £50,000.The cocaine had a purity of 70 per cent and once "cut" by drug dealers for sale on the streets would have doubled or even trebled in value.It is not the first time that Customs officers uncovered attempts to smuggle drugs in such a way but it is particularly expensive because drugs gangs also have to use a chemical process to get the drugs out of suspension.Lin Coxon, detectionmanager for HM Revenue & Customs, said: "We're working at the forefront in the fight to stop drugs entering the UK and reduce the associated harm to our communities."This latest seizure shows the skills and experience of our dedicated teams of officers in detecting this dangerous drug, despite the ever inventive methods used by drug smugglers."We are determined to disrupt organised drugs scams and our approach continues to be one of zero tolerance."No arrests have currently been made.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Daniel Bailey has been told to pay up £194,370 by a court. If he fails to hand over the money within six months, he will face a three-year jail term.

Daniel Bailey (35) avoided prison when he received a 26-week suspended sentence after pleading guilty to producing cannabis. But following a separate investigation into his finances by police, he has been told to pay up £194,370 by a court. If he fails to hand over the money within six months, he will face a three-year jail term.During a hearing brought by police under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Lincoln Crown Court was told officers swooped on Bailey's home, near Spalding, on August 5, 2005. They searched the property and found 22 cannabis plants growing among the flowers in his back garden.More cannabis seedlings were discovered in a shed, and two small lumps of the drug were seized in the house.Bailey was subsequently convicted of production of cannabis, which triggered the probe into his financial affairs.The further enquiries showed that in the six years before his arrest, Bailey had claimed incapacity benefit and income support to the tune of more than £21,000, to which he was...

Vanessa and Juan Bedoya, Meneses and Rodriguez-Jimenez are being held in DuPage County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond each.

Vanessa Bedoya, 37, and Juan Bedoya, 38, both of the 1400 block of Green Oak Trail, Aurora, were charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.Juan Meneses, 32, and Gonzalo Rodriguez-Jimenez, 38, both of the 800 block of Amli Court, Aurora, were charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, the Kane County state's attorney's office said.According to prosecutors, on March 25, Rodriguez-Jimenez and Meneses delivered more than 900 grams of cocaineto another unnamed person. Later, more than 900 grams of cocaine were recovered from Juan and Vanessa Bedoya, who are married. The cocaine was recovered at the home of Francisco Bedoya, 36, also of the 1400 block of Green Oak Trail, Aurora. In addition, more than 900 grams of cocaine was recovered in the home of Juan and Vanessa Bedoya, prosecutors said. Officers searched three Aurora homes Tuesday and found 15 kilograms of cocaine, worth about $4.5 million, along with $50,000 in cash and two vehicle...

Philip Doo (52), Christopher Wiggins (42) and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night

Philip Doo (52), Christopher Wiggins (42) and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night amid tight security. A force of up to 30 gardaí, including detectives armed with Uzi submachine guns, surrounded the courthouse.The three men, all from Britain, were charged that on November 5th, 2008, on the vessel Dances with Waves , a ship not registered in any country or territory, they had possession of cocaine knowing it was intended to be imported illegally.The offence, which is contrary to Section 34 (2) (4) of the Criminal Justice Drugs Trafficking Act 1994, carries a maximum penalty upon conviction at Circuit Court level of a a fine or seven years in jail or both. Det Garda Ronan Cowley of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Doo, of Rocklands House, Higher Manor Road, Brixham, Devon, and told the court that Mr Doo did not wish to reply to the charge after caution.Det Garda ...