Drug runners caught with £2 MILLION worth of cocaine stowed in packets hidden in secret compartment in back of van are both jailed for 11 years
Drug runners who were busted with £2 million worth of cocaine labelled BJ in the back of their van have been jailed.
Roy Basson, 39, was caught red handed while trying to stash 20 bags of cocaine into a secret compartment of his Citroen Berlingo in Maidenhead, Surrey.
Shortly before, officers had spotted Basson being handed what looked like a laundry bag by an accomplice - Paul Worthington.
Roy Basson (left) and Paul Worthington (right) were both sentenced to 11 years in prison after being busted with 20 bags of cocaine, worth £2 million
The hidden compartment in Roy Basson's Citroen Berlingo was found to contain £2 million of cocaine
The blocks of cocaine were wrapped in cellophane with the letters BJ inscribed on them
Both men were arrested after officers approached the van and saw he was trying to hide the class A drugs in a specially built hide.
The drugs, which had been wrapped in cellophane and marked BJ, have an estimated street value of between £1 million and £2 million.
Two mobile phones and a notepad with postcodes written down were also seized by police after the arrest in May 2021.
Both men were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court after admitting a charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine on Thursday (23 September).
Basson, of Stonehouse Road, Sevenoaks and Worthington, 41, of Bryant Avenue, Slough, were both given 11 years behind bars.
A forfeiture and destruction order was also issued by the judge for the drugs, cash and van.
Basson was also charged with acquiring criminal property, which was ordered to lie on file.
Detective Constable Stuart Clayton said: 'This was a significant drug find which involved a vehicle being professionally modified in order to hide a large amount of cocaine.
'They were caught red-handed trying to hide the drugs and had they not been intercepted the drugs would have been sold to various networks where a number of drug users and their families would have been negatively impacted.
'We work hard across the county to target drug dealers in order to stop the sale and distribution of drugs within Kent and Medway and this is a good example of the cross-border work we carry out.
''They may not have been drug dealers themselves but by acting as couriers they are just as accountable, and their sentences reflect this criminality.'
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