11 years for Heathrow drug smuggler
08.12.11
A man who smuggled more than £4.5 million of heroin into the UK through Heathrow hidden in shirt collars has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Munir Khalid, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a Class A drug and was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.
Mr Khalid was arrested in March when he flew in from Lahore, almost one year after a freight shipment from Pakistan was searched by customs officers at Heathrow. Forensic analysis confirmed it was heroin with a 'street value' of up to £4.7 million.
The consignment, which was imported in March 2010, was described as Sports Wear and contained 63 pieces weighing about 690 Kilos. Heroin was found hidden in between the shirt collars and shirt boxes with clear plastic sachets which contained a brown powder.
The packages were signed for at a self-storage unit by two Sri Lankan males who had been employed by Khalid to unload the boxes. Police attempts to trace and arrest Mr Khalid were thwarted when he left the country the following day for Pakistan.
Detective Superintendent Steve Ratcliffe, of the Met's Project Team, said: 'Mr Khalid was caught a year after the offence took place, as he attempted to slip back in to the country. This operation sends a message to criminals involved in the importation of drugs to the UK - we will catch you and you will face the force of the law.’
To book heathrow airport hotels or heathrow airport parking at the lowest price, click on these links to two great heathrow airport car parking and heathrow airport hotel price comparison page.
