Cocaine smuggler caught at Bristol Airport - Bristol Airport News

Airport news for Bristol on 23/07/2009.

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Francisco Perez Becerra, 39 years old, of Seville, Spain, received an 11-year sentence for importing 6lb of the drug, having an approximate street value of £112,000, into Britain.

He had flown into Bristol from The Gambia, by way of Senegal and Brussels, and was apprehended by officials from the UK Border Agency at the Bristol airport on 8 September last year.

During a security check of baggage, an official became suspicious about the weight of the man’s trainers. An X-ray discovered the hidden drugs.

Customs investigators analysed his mobile phone data and told the court that on the day Becerra was to arrive in Bristol, he had repeated phone conversations with a “contact” in the city centre.

Prosecutors indicated that the phone calls were evidence of an organized attempt at importing cocaine into the city of Bristol.

Andrew Pavlinic, who is HM Revenue and Customs assistant director of criminal investigation, said: “This 11-year prison sentence shows regional airports like Bristol are not a soft touch for drug smuggling.”

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