Man caught with £3.2m of cocaine at Harwich Port is jailed

Rolf Warnars was stopped in his Renault Scenic by Border Force officers at Harwich International Port having travelled by ferry from Hook of Holland, Netherlands.

In the boot of his car was a heavy suitcase Warnars claimed was packed with clothes for his trip to the UK.

Site - Harwich Port (Image: Terry Joyce)

Upon searching the suitcase, officers discovered 42kg of cocaine with an approximate street value of £3.2million.

The drugs were individually wrapped by the kilogram and each package was tagged with a ‘DIOR’ label.

Warnars was arrested for the cocaine importation attempt and an investigation was launched by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Investigators analysed data held on his mobile phone and discovered he had made four other trips to the UK from June 2023 to when he was arrested at Harwich Port in November 2023.

On each occasion, he would arrive in the UK from the Netherlands, stay overnight in a hotel, and return the following day.

Jailed - Rolf Warnars admitted to importing class A drugs (Image: NCA)

Evidence of Warnars’ use of exchange ‘tokens’ was also uncovered on his phone.

Tokens are commonly used in criminal exchanges as a method of verifying the correct recipient of drugs or illicit cash.

They often take the form of a bank note serial number and are sent as proof of receipt.

Warnars appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday to be sentenced having admitted to importing class A drugs at a previous court hearing.

He was sentenced to ten years and six months imprisonment.

'Sentence a stark warning to drug suppliers'

NCA operations manager Paul Orchard said: “Cocaine supply fuels violence in communities across the UK, with direct links to knife crime and the exploitation of children and vulnerable adults.

“Our investigation evidenced this wasn’t a one-off for Warnars, as he made several trips in the months before his arrest.

“The sentence handed down to him should serve as a stark warning to drug suppliers – you will be caught and put before the courts. 

“Working closely with our Border Force colleagues and international law enforcement partners, we are committed to dismantling the organised crime groups responsible for importing class A drugs.”

Assistant director for the Border Force Central Region Jenny Sharp added: “Every drug trafficker caught protects our communities from the destructive influence of illegal drugs. 

“Our dedicated Border Force officers are at the forefront of this battle, working tirelessly to prevent these substances from ever reaching our streets.

“This case is another strong example of our unwavering commitment to keeping our borders secure."