A Canadian smuggler who was caught with almost £300,000 worth of cannabis at Aberdeen Airport was rumbled after his flight was re-routed to the travel hub. Pawlo Albanskyi has now been locked up for two years and eight months after he admitted being involved in the supply of the controlled drug at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old, from Mississauga near Toronto, was stopped by Border Force Officers as he arrived on a flight from Canada via Amsterdam on December 11 last year. He had been due to fly to Birmingham but had been re-routed to Aberdeen following flight delays.
When asked what his suitcases contained, he claimed it was clothing belonging to him and his sister who lived more than 500 miles away in Slough. Entry to the cases was forced after Albanskyi claimed he didn’t know the padlock codes with officers discovering just two t-shirts alongside 33 kilos of herbal cannabis.
An examination of his phone showed that he had been acting as a courier of the drugs in return for payment. National Crime Agency senior officer Peter Taylor said: “Pawlo Albanskyj brazenly carried a significant amount of drugs in his bags with no attempts to conceal what was inside.
“The work of the Organised Crime Partnership Scotland team meant that these clearly prepared drugs never ended up at their intended destination in England. We will continue our work in our partnership with Police Scotland, and working closely with Border Force, to target and disrupt drug couriers and the gangs behind them.”
Detective Sergeant Stuart Boyle, from Police Scotland, added: “Albanskyj’s conviction and sentencing is another example of our ongoing commitment to target those who try to distribute large amounts of controlled drugs for financial gain. This remains an absolute priority for the Organised Crime Partnership and its partners.
“I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that information from our local communities is an essential part of our investigation process, as we work to disrupt the drugs trade and bring those responsible to justice.”
David Green, Procurator Fiscal for homicide and major crime, said: “Justice does not stop at the border. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to protecting our society from harm and will continue to work with enforcing authorities using every avenue available to bring criminals to justice in Scotland.
“We will target all those who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements. With each case of this kind, we can help reduce the harm these drugs do to those communities.”
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