Story perspectives

Driver Gets 13½ Years for £7M Skims Cocaine Smuggle

5/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

Driver Jakub Jan Konkel was sentenced to 13 years and six months for smuggling £7 million of cocaine hidden in a rear-door compartment of a Skims clothing truck.
Border Force stopped the truck at Harwich, Essex after an X-ray showed a hidden compartment with 90 kilogram-size cocaine packages among Skims clothing.
National Crime Agency manager Paul Orchard and Border Force director Jason Thorn said the seizure deprived organized-crime groups of millions.

History

Historical Context

In 1985 Operation Julie shattered the United Kingdom’s largest LSD laboratory, arresting figures such as Scottish dealer Henry Barclay Todd, who received a 13-year sentence. Decades later, Border Force’s £7 million seizure of a Skims cargo illustrates the same aggressive customs approach, now backed by NCA officials Paul Orchard and Jason Thorn.

1 of 2

Story summary

Driver Jakub Jan Konkel was sentenced to 13 years and six months for smuggling £7 million of cocaine hidden in a rear-door compartment of a Skims clothing truck.
Border Force stopped the truck at Harwich, Essex after an X-ray showed a hidden compartment with 90 kilogram-size cocaine packages among Skims clothing.
National Crime Agency manager Paul Orchard and Border Force director Jason Thorn said the seizure deprived organized-crime groups of millions.

1 / 2