Jailed for cannabis smuggling at Bristol Airport

Three men who swallowed two kilograms of cannabis resin to try and smuggle it through Bristol International Airport have been jailed.

UK Border Agency officers intercepted the three men, from Devon, at the airport on March 18.

They were returning from Malaga but officers noted they had spent a day in Tangiers, Morocco, which is popular with cannabis couriers.

The men were arrested and x-ray scans revealed the presence of 253 packages of cannabis resin, with a street value of £5,785.

They were transferred to a specialist customs unit at Heathrow and the case was referred to HM Revenue & Customs for criminal investigation.

Daniel Pink, aged 39, of Totnes, pleaded guilty to smuggling cannabis into the UK at Isleworth Crown Court and was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Tuesday this week.

On June 4 co-defendants Robert Riddiough, 41, of Exeter, and Lee Clark, 42, of Paignton, were given 15-month and nine-month jail terms respectively.

Riddiough had swallowed 105 of the packages, Clark 98 and Pink 50.

Peter Avery, HM Revenue and Customs assistant director of criminal investigation, said: "Morocco is the main source country for cannabis resin seized in the UK. It is unusual for cannabis packages to be swallowed and smuggled internally, a method more popular with heroin and cocaine smugglers.

"However, our investigators and officers are alert to this method of smuggling and will not differentiate when preparing cases for court.

"We will continue to work closely with our UK Border Agency colleagues to root out these criminals."