A man caught transporting £5.7m in cocaine bricks hidden in a van with secret compartments has been imprisoned.
31-year-old Nabil Chaudhry, of Moat Place in Northampton, was intercepted by Metropolitan Police officers following an investigation by the force’s Specialist Crime Command, ultimately receiving a nominal seven-and-a-half-year term for for possessing criminal property and conspiracy to supply Class A drug.
According to a Metropolitan Police statement, when officers confronted Chaudhry at a petrol station in Doncaster he “attempted to escape, fighting the officers as he tried to re-enter his vehicle”.
The Met reported that “An initial search of the van revealed purpose-built panelling had been screwed into the rear” of the vehicle, which, on removal, revealed “45 individually wrapped blocks – later found to contain cocaine”.
Officers also shared a video of their discovery on their website.
Each of the hidden blocks contained a kilo of the narcotic — roughly 2.2 pounds — with a follow-up investigation linking Chaudhry to “the distribution of a further 75kg [165 lbs] of Class A drugs” and finding almost £50,000 ($65,000) in cash deposits had been made into his account with no legitimate paper trail.
“The drugs being carried in this vehicle were believed to be destined for distribution on the streets of London,” commented Detective Inspector Glenn Butler for the Met’s Specialist Crime Command team.
“There is an undeniable link between drug supply and violence, much of which we have witnessed across the capital in recent months,” the detective said.
“By intercepting the delivery of millions of pounds worth of Class A drugs, I am confident we have prevented harm coming to Londoners, and those who choose to visit our city.
“I am proud of the dedication and proactivity of my teams which has resulted in this sentence today. The detection of this criminality should send a warning to anyone considering carrying out similar acts that we will use all powers available to us to bring you to justice.”