£100,000 cocaine smuggler jailed for five years

A man who smuggled cocaine worth more than £100,000 into the UK has been jailed for five years and three months.

Vincent Dolan was arrested following an investigation launched after Border Force officers working at Coventry International Postal Hub intercepted two packages addressed to him in October 2017.

An investigation was passed to the National Crime Agency (NCA) after the packages were found to contain cocaine which had been impregnated into cardboard.

With support from Police Scotland, NCA officers subsequently arrested Dolan, 42, at his home in Clydebank.

Dolan pleaded guilty to drug importation and supply offences and on Wednesday was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow to five years and three months in prison, the NCA said.

Ian Thomas, NCA Scotland branch commander, said: "Vincent Dolan is a career drug trafficker, having previously served prison sentences in Scotland, Italy and Spain for similar offences. It appears that he is yet to learn his lesson.

"Working with our law enforcement colleagues in Border Force and Police Scotland we are determined to disrupt the criminal networks responsible for bringing class A drugs into Scotland and fuelling further crime, exploitation and violence."

Two packages were found to contain cocaine which had been impregnated into cardboard (National Crime Agency/PA)
Two packages were found to contain cocaine which had been impregnated into cardboard (National Crime Agency/PA)

Pauline Hastings, Border Force Assistant Director at Coventry International Postal Hub, said: "The professionalism and vigilance of our officers prevented this seizure of Class A drugs entering the UK and ending up on our streets where they would have caused significant harm to vulnerable individuals and wider communities.

"The detection by our officers at Coventry was the crucial first step in bringing this inveterate offender to justice.

"Working with the National Crime Agency and other law enforcement partners, we will continue to tackle drug smuggling and the criminals involved."

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