£15m of cocaine found in lorry carrying Zara clothing

Drug trafficking

A lorry driver has been jailed for smuggling more than £15m worth of cocaine hidden on a vehicle carrying a consignment of Zara clothing.

Greek national Evangelis Thavaros, 54, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court today (Monday 24 August) to 13 years and six months in prison, following a National Crime Agency investigation.

On 12 August this year, Thavaros was stopped by Border Force officers at the Port of Harwich in Essex as he arrived on a ferry from the Hook of Holland, the Netherlands.

His heavy goods vehicle, which was carrying 28 pallets of Zara clothing, was x-rayed. The load itself was entirely legitimate, and neither the exporter nor the importer were connected to the smuggled drugs — but the trailer had been specially adapted, with a hide built into the skin of the rear doors.

Inside were 180 packages, each containing 1kg of cocaine, with a combined street value of around £15.2m.

Thavaros's tachograph showed a 104-minute stop he failed to declare to the NCA during interview — thought to be when the drugs were loaded onto the vehicle, with only Thavaros and the crime group aware.

Thavaros, of Kallithea, Greece, initially denied any knowledge of the Class A drugs, but later pleaded guilty to drug smuggling, admitting he'd agreed to carry the shipment for a payment of 30,000 Euros.

NCA senior investigating officer Diane Wetherell said:

"Organised crime groups use corrupt drivers like Thavaros 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 Thavaros 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 Michael Reyes 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."