BA link to £1m drugs ring

A British Airways employee has been arrested in connection with a £1 million cocaine smuggling plot.


The man - a member of BA's ground staff - was held in a raid by 100 police at Heathrow last night.

Officers went to a number of addresses near the airport after a long-running joint police and Customs operation.

In all, six arrests were made after a lengthy surveillance operation in connection with a sophisticated operation to bring in cocaine on flights from around the world.

The BA employee allegedly collected packages from incoming drug couriers, using his airline pass to evade security.

The cocaine would then be handed to dealers at a pub close to the airport, in Stanwell, and distributed throughout London and the Home Counties.

Surrey police believe that, in the past three to four months, about 200 kilos came in this way. A spokesman said last night's arrest was made with BA's co-operation.

"The operation will have a significant impact upon the availability of these drugs," said Superintendent Richard Morris.

"Class A drugs such as crack and cocaine have been identified as among the biggest threats to the safety of people in Surrey.

Drug-smuggling operations have become increasingly sophisticated since police and Customs began their drive to prevent criminal couriers from using airlines.

A crackdown on drug "mules" flying from Jamaica - one of the biggest sources of cocaine - has driven smugglers to seek alternative routes and methods.

Terry Bryne, the head of law enforcement at Customs, said corrupt baggage handlers and ground staff were becoming an increasing

Among their activities was slipping cases of drugs onto planes to avoid drug checks.

In the latest case, the BA ground-staff employee received the packages from passengers arriving on the flights. He then walked out of the airport unchallenged.

In a recent interview, Customs Minister John Healey said drugs gangs were also switching their attention to other problem.

Caribbean islands to avoid new drug-screening equipment that has been introduced at Jamaican airports.

He also confirmed that - in an effort to avoid new immigration and customs controls - gangs were increasingly attempting to recruit British nationals to act as cocaine smugglers from the Caribbean.

The number of drug mules - usually people who swallow packets of cocaine - has fallen dramatically after scanning equipment to detect drugs was brought in by the authorities in Jamaica

Last year it was claimed one in 10 passengers to Britain was a mule, and that as much as 30 kilos of cocaine was being smuggled on every flight.

Two flights targeted early last year at Heathrow and Gatwick saw more than 40 people arrested and £250,000-worth of cocaine seized.

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