Madison Burgess
A lorry driver has been jailed for just over 13 years after secretly hiding £7 million worth of cocaine in a HGV transporting a load of Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand’s underwear and clothes.
Jakub Jan Konkel was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday (18 May) for drug smuggling, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has said.
The 40-year-old Polish national was stopped by Border Force at Harwich port in Essex on 5 September last year, having travelled on a ferry from the Netherlands.
It was discovered that the lorry was carrying a legitimate load of 28 pallets of SKIMS clothing, but unbeknownst to the importer or exporter, Konkel had also made a pit stop on his way to collect 90kg of cocaine.
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The drug, which is class A, was wrapped in 1kg packages hidden in a compartment in the skin of the rear trailer doors, with the amount totalling a street value of around £7.2 million.
Konkel’s tachograph showed a 16-minute stop that he failed to declare to the NCA in an interview, which is when it is thought the drugs were loaded onto the vehicle with only his and the crime group’s knowledge.
After initially denying he knew anything about the drugs, the lorry driver eventually admitted that he had agreed to transport the cocaine for a payment of €4,500 (£3,914).
As reported by the BBC, Judge Richard Wilkin said Konke collected the drugs from an industrial estate in Belgium and was paid to drive them to the Hook of Holland and board a ferry; however, he was caught by officers at the UK border.
SKIMS clothing items were seized by border officers for examination and have been pictured by the National Crime Agency in their press release on the arrest and sentencing.
Kardashian set up her fashion and shapewear brand SKIMS in 2019, and the business is currently valued at a whopping $5 billion (£2.93 billion).
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.”
Orchard added: “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.”
While 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.”
Tyla has contacted a representative for Kardashian for comment.