Jakub Jan Konkel Jailed for £7.2m Skims Cocaine Haul

Jakub Jan Konkel was jailed for 13-and-a-half years at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, May 18, after Border Force officers found cocaine hidden in a load of Skims underwear and clothing. The lorry driver had arrived by ferry from the Hook of Holland and was stopped at the Port of Harwich in Essex.

The drugs were found in a specially adapted heavy goods vehicle carrying 28 pallets of Skims clothing. Officials x-rayed the load before discovering 90 packages of cocaine, each containing a kilo, with a street value of around £7.2m.

Chelmsford Crown Court

Konkel pleaded guilty to drug smuggling after initially denying any knowledge of the Class A drugs. He also confessed to agreeing to move the drugs for a €4,500 payment.

The truck had a hide built into the skin of the rear trailer doors, and the drugs are thought to have been loaded during a 16-minute stop that Konkel did not declare to the NCA when questioned. The load itself was legitimate, and neither the exporter nor the importer was involved in the smuggling.

Border Force And NCA

Paul Orchard, an NCA operations manager, said: "Organised crime groups use corrupt drivers like Konkel to move Class A drugs often hidden on entirely legitimate loads such as this". He also said: "The detection and investigation have removed a significant amount of cocaine whose profits are lost to the crime group behind the smuggling attempt, and with Konkel they’ve lost an important enabler."

Jason Thorn, Border Force Assistant Director, said: "These drugs destroy lives and inflict misery on our communities." He added: "This significant interception is testament to the brilliant work of Border Force, depriving criminal networks of millions in profit."

For freight operators and drivers, the case leaves one clear message: legitimate cargo does not shield concealed drugs from inspection, and a stop at a UK port can end with a court sentence measured in years.