Lorry driver who hid £4m stash of cocaine in his bed jailed

An HGV driver who attempted to smuggle £4m worth of cocaine into the country in his bed has been jailed for 14-and-a-half years.

Karol Niewiadomski (pictured), 30, from Poland, claimed he did not know the drugs were in his vehicle when it was searched by Border Force officials at Dover port on 7 January this year.

Officers discovered 50kg of the class A drug in cardboard boxes within the sleeping area of Niewiadomski’s cab.

A quantity of amphetamine was also found in a first aid box.

He said he had left the lorry unlocked whilst travelling by ferry from the Netherlands.

The driver denied a charge of importation of cocaine and importation of amphetamine, but was convicted at Canterbury Crown Court on 10 September.

Mark Howes, National Crime Agency branch commander, said: “Drug smugglers like Niewiadomski aid organised crime groups, with the profits from these drugs going on to fuel further criminality.”