Corrupt Heathrow Security Manager Jailed for Smuggling Plot Involving £2m of Cocaine

London – A judge sentenced a former Heathrow Airport security manager to 16 and a half years in prison for his role in a failed attempt to smuggle £2 million worth of cocaine into the UK. The conviction follows a major investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Junaed Dar, 47, from Randolph Road in Slough, used his position of trust and airport access to assist two drug couriers arriving from Colombia in December 2019. The case, described by the NCA as a “gross betrayal of trust,” exposes how organised crime networks exploit insiders to move illegal drugs undetected.

The Attempt to Smuggle

Dar arrived at Heathrow Airport on December 14, 2019, more than three hours before his shift was due to start. He put on his uniform, got an official airport vehicle, and drove to Terminal 2B to meet Michael Williams, 39, and Jessica Waldron, 38. The two had flown in from Bogotá, Colombia, with 22 kilos of cocaine in their checked bags.

The smugglers didn’t realise that Colombian police, working with the NCA, had stopped their bags before they left. Colombian authorities removed the blocks of cocaine and replaced them with identically shaped blocks of wood. This let British police catch the criminals in the act without putting the drugs on the streets in the UK.

After the flight landed, Williams and Waldron retrieved their bags and met Dar, who escorted them to a toilet area away from surveillance. There, Dar took possession of the luggage and loaded it into his airport vehicle. Before he could leave, he was arrested by NCA officers in a coordinated operation with Heathrow Airport security and Border Force.

Meanwhile, Williams and Waldron, both from Buxton Road, Hollyhall in Dudley, were arrested as they attempted to leave the airport. The two later admitted to attempting to import Class A drugs and were each sentenced in 2022 to six years and eight months in prison.

Organised Crime Network

Dar wasn’t acting alone. The operation was backed by an organised crime group based in the West Midlands. Two other men, Ruford Davis, 55, of Pitfield Road in Dudley, and David Farquharson, 53, of Waterside Avenue in Wednesbury, were key players in coordinating the couriers’ movements.

When Williams and Waldron landed, both Davis and Farquharson sent them identical messages via encrypted messaging apps, detailing the plan to meet Dar. This direct communication was part of the evidence that linked them to the conspiracy.

On Monday 4 August, a jury at Kingston Crown Court found Dar, Davis, and Farquharson guilty of attempting to import Class A drugs. The judge sentenced Dar to 16 years and six months, and gave both Davis and Farquharson 14 years and six months each.

NCA: A Serious Breach of Trust

Mark Abbott, NCA operations manager, highlighted the significance of the case.

“Dar committed a gross betrayal of trust by playing a crucial role in this conspiracy which started in South America and would have ended with violent street gangs in UK towns and cities,” Abbott said. “Organised crime groups need corrupt insiders like Dar to help move illegal commodities. As an airport security manager, he had the access and ability to move drugs so they might not be stopped.”

He added that the operation had the full cooperation of Heathrow Airport and Border Force. “Together we continue to combat the threat of Class A drugs being smuggled this way,” Abbott said.

A Threat That Keeps Coming

The drugs never made it to the streets of the UK, but this case is a clear example of how big and worldwide drug trafficking organizations are and how important it is for many agencies to work together to combat them.

The NCA is still going after high-level drug smuggling networks, notably those who try to use trusted insiders to do their dirty work.

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