Sleeping pill smuggler is jailed for year
A SLEEPING pill smuggler found with a haul of almost 50,000 tablets he carried from Thailand to Manchester has been jailed.
Anthony Rekia, 46, was stopped at Manchester Airport after a flight.
The National Crime Agency [NCA], which managed the investigation, said he told Border Force officers who stopped him he had hundreds of cigarettes in his suitcase. But the huge haul of tablets was discovered after a holdall inside the case was searched. It included three different types of tablets in snap-bags.
The NCA said tests and analysis showed there were 40,000 Diazepam tablets, 8,000 Alprazolam tablets and 1,890 Clonazepam tablets. Rekia, of Bury New Road, Prestwich, was found guilty of drug importation following a trial. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court. The NCA said Rekia was stopped at Manchester Airport on August 15 last year. A spokesman said: “Rekia told officers he was carrying 600 cigarettes, but a search of his luggage revealed a holdall within a suitcase containing three different types of pills.” An image of the haul of tablets was revealed by the NCA alongside Rekia’s mugshot. Jon Hughes, NCA operations manager, said: “Working with Border Force we will continue to disrupt and stop the illegal importation of drugs into the UK.” Jon Hughes of the National Crime Agency