Gatwick drug smuggler jailed after swallowing 1kg of cocaine
Henry Michael Penijn ingested more than 90 packets of the class A drug
A drug smuggler, who tried to bring 1kg of cocaine into West Sussex by swallowing it, has been jailed for 4 years.
Henry Michael Penijn, 36, who is from the Netherlands but of no fixed address, was investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after flying from the Dominican Republic into Gatwick Airport on 12 December 2020.
Penijn admitted to swallowing more than 90 packets of cocaine, worth an estimated £80,000, shortly after being stopped at the border.
"We suspect that this may not have been Penijn’s first time"
Penijn appeared at Lewes Crown Court yesterday, 19 January 2021, where he was sentenced to four years in prison, having entered a guilty plea to importing class A drugs.
NCA Branch Commander Mark McCormack said:
“Organised crime groups need couriers like Penijn to bring their illicit commodities into the UK. 93 packages of cocaine is a significant amount for one person to swallow, and for that reason we suspect that this may not have been Penijn’s first time.
“It is also an extremely dangerous method to use. If any one of those packages had split or burst the consequences would likely have been fatal.
“The class A drugs trade is almost always linked to serious and organised crime, with local communities and the people within them suffering as a result."