Lorry driver jailed for hiding cocaine in HGV carrying Kim Kardashian underwear

A Polish lorry driver transporting a load of Kim Kardashian Skims underwear and clothes has been jailed. Picture: AP

A Polish lorry driver transporting a load of Kim Kardashian Skims underwear and clothes has been jailed after he secretly hid £7m (€8m) worth of cocaine in the back doors of the HGV.

Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday for drug smuggling, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

He was stopped by Border Force at Harwich port in Essex on September 5 last year having travelled on a ferry from the Netherlands.

The lorry was carrying a legitimate load of 28 pallets of Skims clothing, but unbeknown to the importer or exporter Konkel had stopped en route to collect 90kg of cocaine.

The class A drug was wrapped in 1kg packages which were hidden in a compartment in the skin of the rear trailer doors.

In interview, Konkel admitted that he had agreed to transport the cocaine for a payment of €4,500.

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.”