Once a staple fashion statement of the festival crowd, face masks and bandanas (around faces) have become de rigueur in a COVID-19 society. And while these essential items should be used primarily for health and protection, others have more scrupulous intentions in mind.
Reports Reuters, “British customs officers have seized 14 kg of cocaine worth more than 1 million pounds ($1.25 million) that smugglers had hidden in a consignment of face masks in the UK customs zone of the Channel Tunnel.”
The cocaine was found spread out in 15 packages, hidden amongst the packages of essential health items. A 34-year-old Polish man was arrested in connection to the shipment.
“This seizure is further evidence of the way criminal networks are attempting to exploit the coronavirus outbreak to their own ends,” said Darren Herbert, the National Crime Agency’s operations manager for the port of Dover.
“We are now investigating who was behind this attempt, but what is clear is that they have taken a substantial hit. At UK street prices, this haul might have raised more than 1 million pounds once adulterated and cut down – profit that they have now been denied.”
The seizure just goes to show that even when parties are, for all intents and purposes, outlawed, and no one is going out anymore, people still desire a “party” drug.
via Reuters
