A dopey Irish truck driver got caught in a web of lies after a receipt for a bottle of whiskey he purchased was found next to a €3.5 million load of heroin.
Edmundas Bruzas (56) from Arklow, Co Wicklow was on Monday jailed for over 12 years after he was caught with the massive stash of heroin hidden in a secret compartment in the cab of his truck earlier this year.
Bruzas, who is originally from Lithuania, initially claimed he knew nothing about 60 tape-wrapped blocks of heroin hidden in his cab.
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The shocking discovery of £3 million (€3.5m) worth of heroin was made when he was stopped by Border Force officers at the Port of Immingham on March 25 this year - having arrived there from Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Bruzas claimed he was carrying strawberries for delivery to Ireland - and claimed to officers that he was not present when the cargo was loaded.
In a lengthy statement by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on Monday, the force said the lorry driver declared 200 cigarettes and a bottle of Grant’s Triple Wood Whisky he bought on an outbound ferry before collecting the strawberries.
It was this admission - the ownership of the whiskey - that got Bruzas caught in his series of lies.
During the course of a search Border Force officers noticed something wrong with part of the refrigeration unit and discovered blocks of heroin weighing 30 kilos and next to them seven carrier bags in a concealed area.
Border Force then referred the find to the National Crime Agency and an investigation was launched.
In custody, Bruzas said he knew nothing about the drugs and answered questions in two separate interviews.
He admitted buying the alcohol - but said he didn’t know what he’d done with the receipt.
Officers then revealed to Bruzas that they had found the receipt - complete with his credit card details for the whiskey in a carrier bag next to the heroin.
That discovery completely unravelled his story, and he refused to answer any more questions, the NCA said.
During the search officers also discovered three mobile phones, a SIM card and a post-it note bearing the question: “Are Customs doing a check on you?”
The matter was finally concluded before Grimsby Crown Court yesterday (MON) when Bruzas admitted smuggling the heroin and was sentenced to 12 years and six months behind bars.
Speaking out after the sentencing, NCA operations manager Carl Barrass said: “It was impossible for Bruzas not to know his cab had heroin in it. And when he realised we’d found his credit card receipt next to the drugs he had no option but to admit his guilt.
“Bruzas’s conviction removes a drugs smuggler from an organised crime group which has also lost a significant amount of money that would have been ploughed back into further offending.
“With partners such as Border Force and UK policing, the NCA leads the UK’s fight against Class A drugs which cause huge damage to our communities.”
Murdo Macmillan, Director of Border Force North, added: “These drugs destined for the UK would have fuelled addiction, violence and exploitation.
“This seizure and others like it, send a clear message to anyone who is considering smuggling illegal drugs into the country that we remain committed and prepared to tackle drug supply chains.
“The tireless professional efforts of Border Force officers prevent criminals like Edmundas Bruzas from smuggling drugs through the border.
“With our close working relationship with the NCA, we continue to detect and break supply chains.
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