Grimsby man jailed for £270,000 cocaine smuggling plot

Kemar Livingstone Plummer was jailed for seven and half years after being convicted of importing cocaine

A drug smuggler has been jailed after more than £270,000 worth of cocaine was discovered hidden in food packets.

Kemar Livingstone Plummer, 35, from Grimsby, was stopped at Manchester Airport after arriving from Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 9 January 2020.

A search of his suitcase found 3.5kg of the drug in cake mix packets and a container of gourmet coffee.

At a crown court hearing in Stockport, Plummer was jailed for seven and a half years.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Plummer's suitcase was found to be 4kg heavier than it had been when he checked in for his flight.

Border Force officers searched the luggage and found the cocaine hidden within the six food boxes.

The NCA said the drugs had an estimated value £122,000 if sold wholesale, or around £277,000 if sold on the UK streets.

The drugs were found hidden in food packets by Border Force officers

An examination of Plummer's mobile phone found WhatsApp messages from a contact telling him they were worried and would not be able to sleep until they heard he had successfully retrieved his luggage, the NCA said.

His phone also contained an image of a 10cm-thick pile of £10 and £20 notes, which he claimed was from the sale of a car.

D Pownall, from the NCA, said: "Plummer foolishly thought he could get away with smuggling cocaine into the UK for profit.

"Drug smugglers play a key role in the drug supply chain, aiding organised crime groups in a trade that brings violence and exploitation to our communities.

"Protecting our borders and preventing drugs from reaching the UK remains a top priority, and we'll continue to work with key partners like Border Force to ensure such criminal activity is disrupted."

Plummer, of Wintringham Road, Grimsby, was sentenced on Friday after being found guilty of importing cocaine.