Jail for drug smuggler who swallowed 39 wraps of cocaine worth £40,000

Jailed: Preston Rogers
Border Force
Hannah Al-Othman13 January 2016
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

A man who tried to bring tens of thousands of pounds worth of drugs into the UK by swallowing dozens of wraps of cocaine has been jailed.

Preston Rogers, 23, from Basildon, was handed a three-year prison sentence he admitted swallowing the bags of cocaine in an attempt to smuggle them into the UK.

He was stopped by Border Force officers at Stansted Airport on December 1 last year, after he stepped off a flight from Lisbon.

Rogers initially told officers that he was returning from a three day trip to Lisbon, but when asked for his boarding pass he also produced an e-ticket showing a trip from Heathrow Airport to Sao Paulo, via Madrid.

He had made the trip on November 22, with a return leg five days later.

When he was quizzed about entry and exit stamps in his passport that showed he had made a journey from Brazil, Rogers admitted that he had left Sao Paulo the day before.

Rogers was taken to Harlow Hospital where a CT scan revealed he had swallowed foreign objects.

While at the hospital he passed 39 packages, and the contents were later confirmed as 311g of cocaine with a street value of around £40,000.

Rogers was questioned by officers from the National Crime Agency’s Border Policing Command and charged with attempting to import a Class A drug.

Rogers, of no fixed address but previously of Waterville Drive, Basildon, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court on January 7 where he received a three-year prison sentence.

Phil Douglas, Border Force Heathrow Director, said: “This case shows the extreme lengths smugglers will go to in their attempts to bring Class A drugs into the UK. Rogers was risking his life by swallowing packages. If just one had split it could have been fatal.

“Border Force officers are the front line in the fight against smuggling and play a crucial role in protecting the UK from illegal drugs and other contraband. Working with law enforcement colleagues including the NCA we are determined to do all we can to prevent drug trafficking and put those responsible behind bars.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in