Preston Man Jailed Over Cocaine In Peppers

18 April 2012, 15:45 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A man from Preston has been locked up for trying to smuggle cocaine stuffed in peppers into the UK through Manchester Airport.

Sierra Leone national 42 year old  Stanley Okpara, was arrested by Border Force officers when he attempted to collect the drugs which had arrived in a freight shipment from Nigeria on February 25.

The peppers - stashed in boxes - contain 200g of the drug, with a street value of about £13,000.

Okpara, of Gertrude Close in Salford, was jailed for seven years at Bolton Crown Court after he was convicted of fraudulent evasion of prohibition by bringing a controlled drug into the country.

Pete Avery, of Border Force, said: “Cocaine is an evil and addictive drug that ruins the lives of users, their families and the wider community.

”Our officers work round the clock and use a combination of the latest technology, sniffer dogs and their own expertise and experience to protect our borders.

“Anyone involved in smuggling illegal drugs can expect to be caught and to pay a heavy penalty, as the sentence handed out shows.”