Croydon Man Admits Dover Heroin Smuggling Attempt

A Bulgarian man living in Croydon has admitted attempting to smuggle heroin into the UK through Dover's Eastern Docks.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Nedko Nedev was arrested on 27 March 2010 at the tourist controls at Dover when UK Border Agency officers searched the British registered Mitsubishi Pajero he was driving.

When officers questioned him, Nedev said he had borrowed the car from a friend and travelled to Brussels to collect some tools. During the search officers found eight taped packages beneath the car bonnet.

One of the packages tested positive for heroin. The total weight of the drugs was approximately four kilos with an estimated street value of £200,000.

Nedev pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday (6 October 2010) and is due to be sentenced there on 22 November 2010.

The UK Border Agency will look to remove Nedev from the UK once any prison sentence is served.

Malcolm Bragg, UK Border Agency's Criminal and Financial Assistant Director for the UK Border Agency, Border Force South, said:

"The UK Border Agency is at the forefront of the fight to stop illegal drugs entering the UK. We are determined to protect society from activity which can have such a destructive impact on local communities as well as individuals.

"Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to drug smuggling should call our hotline on 0800 59 5000."

UK Border Agency officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.

They also use an array of search techniques including detection dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners - as well as visual searches - to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and cigarettes which would otherwise end up causing harm to local people, businesses and communities.