Man jailed for hiding drugs worth millions inside fruit containers at Southampton Docks
A man who hid millions of pounds worth of drugs inside fruit containers at Southampton Docks has been jailed for 18 years for his involvement in the importation of cocaine.
Marius Molla, 31, was found guilty by jury following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court.
On 1 December 2020, police and Border Force officials searched a container, said to contain limes, at Southampton Docks, after it had arrived from Brazil.
They removed pallets of limes but also found hidden packages behind a panel inside the refrigeration unit, which they seized.
Further testing found the substance to be cocaine hydrochloride with a street value of £3 million.
Three days later (December 4, 2020), police observed the delivery of the container to a fruit compound in Essex, which had been arranged by a haulier.
CCTV footage captured Molla arriving shortly after the lorry's arrival. He was arrested at the warehouse, and found to be in possession of a pistol and ammunition.
Officers uncovered an automatic 9mm CZ type pistol along with ammunition in a Gucci bag which had been found close to him.
Molla, was charged the next day (December 5).
Following a previous trial at Southampton Crown Court in July last year, he was convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate.
Molla was found guilty by jury of conspiring to evade a prohibition on importation after a trial at Salisbury Crown Court on Tuesday (February 8).
He was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment for the drug importation offence and 7 years for the firearm offence, which will run consecutively.
For the ammunition offence, he was sentenced to 3 years concurrently, making a total sentence of 18 years' imprisonment.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Adam Knight, from South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), said: "Molla was involved in bringing millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the UK which would have inevitably found its way on to our streets and caused significant harm to those whose lives are already blighted by drug addiction within the communities of the South East.
"When police officers entered the warehouse to arrest Molla, they discovered he had a prohibited firearm and ammunition next to him. This is a stark reminder of the lengths those involved in this level of criminality are prepared to go to avoid having their crimes uncovered.
"This attempt to conceal the drugs in a refrigeration unit inside a container of limes was foiled by SEROCU, working together with Border Force and the National Crime Agency. This collaboration undoubtedly resulted in us finding the offender and ultimately led to him being convicted for his part in this crime."