A Polish truck driver was sent to the slammer for smuggling over $8 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of underwear and clothing from Kim Kardashian’s “Skims” brand.
Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison on Monday for stashing a slew of drugs inside his truck carrying 28 pallets of Skims clothing from the Netherlands, according to the National Crime Agency.
Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was sentenced to prison for smuggling over $9 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of underwear and clothing from Kim Kardashian’s “Skims” brand. NCA / SWNS
Konkel, from northern Poland, was stopped by Border Force officers at the Port of Harwich in Essex, England, as he arrived on a ferry with his truck full of the celebrity shapewear last September, the agency said.
After X-raying his vehicle, investigators discovered the truck driver had stopped on the journey to pick up 90 packages of cocaine, totaling 198 pounds. He then snuck the wrapped bundles into a specially adapted compartment in the truck’s back doors.
The street value of the cocaine was estimated to be roughly $8.4 million, investigators determined.
The Skims shipment was legitimate, and neither the exporter nor the importer of the clothing was connected with the smuggling operation, officials added.
Getty Images for SKIMS
After x-raying his vehicle, investigators discovered the truck driver had stopped on the journey to pick up 90 packages of cocaine, totaling 198 pounds. NCA / SWNS
Konkel initially denied knowing anything about the stash of cocaine, but eventually confessed to agreeing to smuggling the drugs for 4,500 Euros, or roughly $5,276.
“These drugs destroy lives and inflict misery on our communities,” Border Force Assistant Director Jason Thorn said in a statement.
“This significant interception is testament to the brilliant work of Border Force, depriving criminal networks of millions in profit,” he added.
“We continue to work round the clock to relentlessly pursue criminality, protect our borders, and keep these dangerous drugs off our streets.”
