Lorry driver had £620k drugs hidden under chicken

A lorry driver who tried to smuggle £620,000 worth of cannabis from Holland to Northern Ireland has been jailed.

Sergei Bacaianov, 42, of no fixed abode, was travelling by ferry from the Netherlands to Killingholme on 4 May 2023, carrying a load of fresh chicken in his trailer.

National Crime Agency (NCA) Belfast branch commander David Cunningham said Bacaianov was "not only aware of the illegal load he was smuggling, but involved in loading the drugs into a sophisticated hide beneath the floor of his trailer".

He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at Grimsby Crown Court earlier, having previously pleaded guilty to a charge of drugs importation on 25 September.

Acting on behalf of the NCA, Border Force officers stopped Bacaianov at the port. A search of his trailer found new welding and paintwork, which indicated that efforts had been made to conceal two underfloor compartments.

Each compartment contained three sliding drawers, each with five metal trays filled with 31 kilos of cannabis with a street value of £620,000.

Bacaianov denied any knowledge of the drugs when questioned by NCA officers and insisted he was collecting and delivering legitimate loads.

However, the NCA said investigators found DNA evidence suggesting he both knew about and had helped to load the drugs.

Mr Cunningham said he believed the drugs "would have been destined for onward travel to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland", and said the profits of such sales on the streets "would have been used to commit further serious and organised crime".

He said the NCA "works closely with partners both in the UK and overseas to disrupt criminal hauliers" who he said use their legitimate loads, including foodstuffs, to transport illegal commodities into the UK.

He added: "The message to those who choose to get involved in this type of criminality is simple – the NCA and our partner enforcement agencies will use every available tactic to identify you, seize your vehicles and bring you to justice."

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