Smuggler lorry driver jailed for 17 years

A jury at Canterbury Crown Court took four hours to reach the unanimous verdict after St Leonards-based trucker Vincent Holyoake denied attempting to bring 32 one-kilo blocks of cocaine through Dover in specially adapted wine-boxes.

The court heard the haul had a street value of 1,784,838.

Holyoake, 46, of Maudlin Court, De Cham Road, told the three-day hearing he had been paid 5,000 to bring the boxes into the country but had not known what was inside them.

He said he had been approached by a man in his 50s who may have been Dutch, while in a Calais car park. He asked whether he wanted to earn 5,000 by taking some wine back to Britain.

He told the stranger he wanted to nothing to do with drug-smuggling but had been assured the wine-boxes contained not drugs but money.

He told the court: "I agreed to do it. The man went back to his car and brought over two wine boxes at a time and I put them in the footwell of my cab."

Prosecuting, Alison Ginn said the haul had been uncovered when Holyoake arrived at the customs post at Coquelles, near Calais.

Asked by customs officers whether he had anything other than his load on board Holyoake said he was bringing back eight boxes of wine and some soap powder for his own use. They were in his cab.

"One of the boxes of wine was opened by customs officers and two clear plastic bags containing two blocks, were found," she said.

"One of these blocks was cut and a white powdery substance was found inside. It tested positive as cocaine.

"In each of the boxes was found further sealed bags each containing two packages.

"In total," she said, "there were 32 of these packages weighing 31.744kg. "At 100 per cent purity this amounted to 24.061kg of cocaine with a street value of 1,784,838," Miss Ginn told the jury.

Holyoake told the court he been a lorry driver for 12 years. He and his wife had a 25,000 mortgage and he had credit card debts of 14,500.

"That is why you acted like you did," Miss Ginn suggested. Holyoake replied: "Unfortunately, yes."

He maintained throughout that he had no idea the wine boxes contained drugs.

Asked why he had agreed to take them at all Holyoake told the court: "Because the guy said it was money and I needed the 5,000. I had debts piling up and it was an easy way of earning the cash."

Sentencing him, Judge Nigel Van Der Bijal told Holyoake drugs like cocaine led to the breakdown of society and those involved with it could only expect a substantial prison sentence.