A lorry driver who believed he was delivering dry ice to a London hospital was unknowingly caught up in the £22.8m cocaine smuggling case, one of the most elaborate drug trafficking plots uncovered during the Covid lockdown. The unsuspecting driver had no idea that 285kg of cocaine was concealed within the load.
The part-time driver had been recruited in France and given paperwork indicating that the delivery was bound for St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. However, this was a complete fabrication designed to avoid scrutiny at the UK border during the height of the pandemic in May 2020.
The hospital had no knowledge of or involvement in the shipment. Border Force officers stopped the vehicle in Calais, and although the driver was initially detained, he was later released when authorities confirmed he was an innocent party.
Drug Trafficker Jailed After Extradition
The man behind the £22.8m cocaine smuggling case was identified as Bart Verschueren, a 40-year-old trafficker from Antwerp, Belgium. Verschueren had provided the false documentation and used the hospital’s name as a cover to reduce suspicion.
He had already been convicted in Belgium for separate drug trafficking crimes committed in 2020 and 2021. Following his extradition to the UK in August 2024, he was charged in connection with the cocaine-laden delivery.
Verschueren was found guilty by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court in March 2025 and sentenced on 10 April to 18 years in prison.
Repeat Offender Exploited Transport Firm
Investigators revealed that the same vehicle had previously entered the UK on three occasions in the weeks before the failed smuggling attempt. Prosecutors argued that these earlier journeys were also likely to have involved smuggling activities.
As a result, Verschueren was sentenced based on the trafficking of at least 500kg of cocaine. He operated under the guise of a transport business, using it to conceal the movement of Class A drugs across borders.
Peter Jones, Operations Manager at the National Crime Agency (NCA), commented: “The NCA works at home and abroad to protect the public from the threat of Class A drugs which wreck lives and our communities. Bart Verschueren did everything possible to cheat justice.
And he thought nothing of risking his driver’s freedom. When he knew his vehicle had been stopped, he reported his driver missing in a bid to distance himself from the importation.”
Key Facts of the £22.8m Cocaine Smuggling Case
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Quantity of Cocaine Seized | 285kg (Sentenced based on 500kg) |
| Street Value | £22.8 million |
| Fake Delivery Destination | St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London |
| Smuggler’s Identity | Bart Verschueren, 40, Antwerp, Belgium |
| Date of Extradition | August 2024 |
| Conviction and Sentencing | March 2025 (Convicted), 10 April (Sentenced) |
| Jail Term | 18 years |
