A man who claimed he was on a day trip to Dunkirk when he was actually in Amsterdam picking up heroin worth £800,000 has been jailed.

Daniel Whereatt, 48, of Bristol, was jailed for six years at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said he was stopped at Dover’s Eastern Docks on 18 March 2019 while returning to the UK.

His car was searched by Border Force officers after they noticed a strong smell of fuel inside the vehicle and the lining and cushions of the back seats were removed.

Officers then discovered 18 tape-wrapped packages filled with a brown powder hidden inside the fuel sender tanks.

The powder was tested and 6kg were found to be heroin, with an estimated street value of £800,000, while a further 2kg were found to contain paracetamol and caffeine.

The NCA said Whereatt told officers that he had been in Dunkirk for the day, sleeping in his vehicle before returning to the UK.

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However, analysis of his phone showed Whereatt had actually been in Amsterdam at the time he claimed he had been in Dunkirk.

His DNA was also discovered on a screwdriver and metal file found next to the fuel sender unit where the drugs were found.

Whereatt pleaded guilty to importing 6kg of heroin on 4 January.

Mark Howes, branch commander at the NCA, said: “This was an attempt to bring potentially lethal drugs into the UK and generate hundreds of thousands of pounds from their supply to vulnerable people.

“Whereatt had only insured the vehicle for two days and we believe this was solely for the purpose of picking up the heroin in Amsterdam and bringing it back to his contacts at home.

“Heroin is a very dangerous drug and brings with it exploitation and violence.

“We will continue our work with Border Force and other partners to target smugglers like Whereatt and bring them to justice.”

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