Showjumper’s father jailed for smuggling £4m of cocaine
A SHOWJUMPER’S father smuggled £4 million of cocaine into Britain inside a horsebox in order to fund his daughter’s career, a court heard.
Jody Van Gerwen, 27, cried as Mari, her 52-year-old father, was jailed for 17 years. The Dutch horse-dealer claimed he had been forced to smuggle the class A drugs into Britain.
In July last year, he arrived at Dover Eastern Docks with two horses in a horsebox. He told Border Force officials the horses were not for jumping or racing and that he was heading to Bracknell, Berks, with €5,000 (£4,370).
But Canterbury Crown Court heard that officers were suspicious and searched the horsebox, where they discovered 50kg of the class A drug. It had a street value of £3.96million,
Van Gerwen denied all knowledge of the drugs, but after his arrest in Dover Dutch police raided his house in Holland and seized €270,000. He was found guilty of importing class A drugs and jailed for 17 years.
Judge Rupert Lowe told him: “This trial took place against a background of the very successful career of your daughter, Jody, as an international showjumper. That is an extremely expensive occupation, notwithstanding the sponsorship and prize money and the returns of the riding school and horse-trading business.
“I am confident that at least part of your motivation in becoming involved was to further the cause of her very expensive career at the highest level,” he added.