Lorry driver jailed for smuggling £19m Nike-branded cocaine haul from Belgium to UK

A lorry driver has been jailed for smuggling cocaine with a street value of £19m to the UK in a legitimate delivery of supplies.

Rudi Claes, 62, a Belgian national, used his haulage company as cover for transporting the drugs and had travelled from Belgium in June 2023 when he stopped at Toddington Services, off the M1 in Bedfordshire.

A car, driven by Ahmed Omar, 28, of Newcomen Road, London, was seen to pull up next to the lorry, before Claes removed two boxes from the trailer and loaded them into the vehicle.

Both men were arrested after police searched the trailer. They found 156kg of cocaine stowed among a legitimate delivery of empty pharmaceutical insulation boxes used to transport medical samples.

A further 36kg of cocaine in pressed kilogram blocks were found in the car, which appeared to have Nike logos on them.

Claes was jailed for 20 years. He and Omar were found to be trusted members of an international gang.

Omar has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and will be sentenced at a later date.

Det Insp Dean Trollope, from Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), said: “Claes has received a significant custodial sentence for his role in bringing vast amounts of cocaine into the UK and the eastern region.

“As a result of the hard work of our investigators, the onwards distribution of these drugs has been prevented, helping to keep our communities safe.

“ERSOU will continue to pursue and prosecute those who are intent on inflicting harm by bringing drugs to the eastern region and in the fight against Class A drug supply.”

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