A 40 year old Dutchman has been jailed for 13 years after attempting to smuggle over 100 kilos of cocaine into the UK through Dover. The drugs had an estimated street value of £5,371,020.
Although investigations of drug offences at the border moved from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in December 2009, HMRC kept responsibility for this case as it dated back to 2004.
Customs officers discovered the drugs during a search of a vessel docked at Dover Eastern Docks on 20 October 2004. The drugs were found concealed in 102 yellow tape wrapped packages, underneath a bunk in Mail William Van Cittert's cabin. He was a passenger on board the vessel.
Mail William Van Cittert from Amsterdam, was arrested and formally charged with attempting to import a controlled drug, but he absconded prior to his trial. An arrest warrant was issued and he was extradited back to the UK from Holland to face the charges on 25 May 2011. He was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday (22 July 2011).
Upon sentencing Van Cittert, His Honour Judge James said: "The potential profits to be made from this attempt to import a massive quantity of cocaine into the UK were enormous and though you were not an organiser, you played a vital role. Your admissions came late in the day and only when confronted with overwhelming evidence."
Bob Gaiger, spokesperson for HM Revenue & Customs said: "Our investigators were determined to find Van Cittert and to bring him back to the UK. The sentence handed down by the court will act as a deterrent to those involved in this type of criminal activity and clearly shows that crime doesn't pay. The UK Border Agency is now at the forefront of the fight to stop drugs entering the UK."
