Trucker hid stash in Kardashian thongs

A Polish trucker smuggled £7.2m worth of cocaine into the UK hidden in a consignment of Kim Kardashian thongs, a court heard.

Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was stopped by Border Force officers at the Port of Harwich in Essex as he arrived on a ferry from the Hook of Holland last September.

Konkel’s HGV was carrying 28 pallets of Skims thongs and bodysuits and clothing but x-rays of the truck revealed a specially constructed hide in the skin of the rear trailer doors.

Inside were 90 packages each containing 1kg of cocaine, with a street value of around £7.2m.

Konkel’s tachograph showed a 16-minute stop that he failed to declare to the NCA in interview, which is when it is thought the drugs were loaded onto the vehicle with only his and the crime group’s knowledge.

He initially denied knowledge of his illicit cargo but later admitted being knowingly concerned in the importation of a class A drug at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Konkel, of Kartuzy, northern Poland, said he agreed to smuggle the drugs for 4,500 Euros.

He was jailed for 13 and a half years following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Kim Kardashian sparked controversy with her Skims underwear branch last October when she entered the merkin market with product named ‘The Ultimate Bush’.

NCA operations manager Paul Orchard said: ‘Organised crime groups use corrupt drivers like Konkel to move Class A drugs often hidden on entirely legitimate loads such as this.

‘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.

‘The NCA works with partners at home and abroad to protect the public from the threat of Class A drugs, which are at the epicentre of huge amounts of crime and suffering in UK communities.’

Border Force Assistant Director, Jason Thorn said: ‘These drugs destroy lives and inflict misery on our communities.

‘This significant interception is testament to the brilliant work of Border Force, depriving criminal networks of millions in profit.

‘We continue to work round the clock to relentlessly pursue criminality, protect our borders and keep these dangerous drugs off our streets.’
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