A DRUG smuggler who attempted to import herbal cannabis with a street value of �470,000 through Harwich has been jailed for six years.

Colin Adwent

A DRUG smuggler who attempted to import herbal cannabis with a street value of �470,000 through Harwich has been jailed for six years.

Isvan Muller, a Hungarian National, who lives in Aerlanderveen, Holland, was convicted at Ipswich Crown Court after being caught trying to bring the 164 kilos of the drug through the port.

The 55-year-old lorry driver was stopped by the UK Border Agency on July 6 as he arrived in Harwich early in the morning.

Muller was driving a trailer unit with 33 pallets described as cardboard on the paperwork destined for a company in Essex.

The first pallet was examined and officers found four smaller boxes, a black holdall and a red checked laundry bag which concealed a green herbal substance later confirmed to be cannabis.

Muller was arrested by customs officers and charged with being involved in the importation of a controlled drug.

In total officers recovered 164 kilos of herbal cannabis.

Sentencing Muller, Judge Roderick Newton said: "The jury has found you guilty by unanimous verdict. You have been caught red-handed.

“You will have to spend your sentence in a foreign jail, in a foreign country. I sentence you to six years.”

During the seven-day trial the jury heard Muller claim that he knew nothing about the drugs.

However witnesses from police and customs in Norway, Finland and Sweden gave statements to support the prosecution along with a tachograph expert.

Maddy Ratnett from HM Revenue and Customs said: “There is no excuse for any person to get involved in this illegal and harmful trade.

“Working with our law enforcement colleagues in UK Border Agency (UKBA) we will take every action to detect, seize and bring those smuggling drugs into the country before the courts.

“This is an illegal trade which damages the lives of local people and finances wider criminal organisations. We would strongly encourage anyone with information relating to drug smuggling to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”