A man tried to smuggle £4m worth of drugs into the UK. He then claimed he wasn’t aware that he had any ketamine in his van.
Mika Voorhans, 21, of the Netherlands, was arrested after officials discovered 100 kilos of ketamine hidden behind paneling screwed inside his van, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Originally, Border Force officers stopped Voorhans while he was boarding the Channel Tunnel in France last December. After noticing a bulge in the paneling, they further investigated the situation and found the drugs.
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However, “Voorhans denied knowledge of the drugs,” the agency reported in a press release. “He told NCA investigators he hired the van to collect a second-hand motorbike in Coventry for a friend-of-a-friend. He claimed the panelling was installed by others, to prevent damage to the van.”
That’s quite an elaborate and unlikely excuse.
Man Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Smuggle Ketamine in His Van
“Officers found a tape measure and drill inside the vehicle, along with receipts revealing Voorhans had spent £850 on plywood and the tape measure at a DIY shop in Amsterdam three days before being stopped,” the press release continued. “NCA officers, assisted by Dutch Police, retrieved shop CCTV footage before it could be wiped. The footage showed Voorhans buying the paneling and taking it to the van.”
In addition to this footage, officials also found a video on Voorhans’ phone of the paneling, as well as Snapchat posts where he requested assistance with the woodwork.
And if that wasn’t enough evidence, Voorhans’ DNA was all over the drugs, so… rookie mistake.
“Voorhans prepared a cover story but he underestimated the close working relationship we have with police overseas and our determination to stop extremely harmful drugs making it to UK streets,” said NCA Operations Manager Richard Deakin.
Voorhans was basically forced to come clean and pleaded guilty to importing Class B drugs at Canterbury Crown Court. Unluckily for him, he was sentenced on Friday, December 13.
“Had Voorhans not been stopped, I have no doubt this huge quantity of drugs would have caused harm to a great many people in the UK,” Deakin said. “Instead, the ketamine will be destroyed and Voorhans is spending years in prison.”
