A smuggler who drove a coach loaded with cocaine into the UK attempted to disguise his plot as an international air-conditioning repair mission.
Christopher Bullows had 243kg of the Class A drug hidden in a specially-made wastewater tank when the vehicle was stopped at Dover.
The 50-year-old initially claimed he had driven to Belgium so the air conditioning unit could be fixed there, where it was supposedly under warranty.
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But the St Helens trafficker eventually admitted he was part of an audacious plan to smuggle the drugs, given a street value of just over £19m, into England.
He was today jailed for 14 years and four months for attempting to import Class A drugs.
Mark Tucker, Bullows' passenger when the coach was stopped in September, was handed a 16-year term after he was convicted of the same offence following a five day trial at Canterbury Crown Court.
Bullows, of Lord Street, was busted when his air conditioning ruse was blown apart by the discovery the unit had been fixed in the UK before he set off for the continent.
Tucker, of Longshaw Street in Blackburn, had argued he was a mechanic and had joined Bullows on the trip to check on the repairs.
Bullows said the 53-year-old had travelled with him "for the jolly".
The conspiracy was unravelled by the National Crime Agency with the help of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - which was able to demonstrate the movements of the coach by analysing the vehicle's tachograph.
NCA Branch Commander Mark McCormack today said: “This was a brazen attempt to smuggle a large amount of cocaine into the UK but it hasn’t ended well for Tucker and Bullows.
"Not only was their lethal cargo seized, they are now facing long spells in jail.
“Drugs smuggling is behind violence and exploitation in our communities, with vulnerable people often paying the highest price.
“We will continue to work with partners like Border Force to break the supply chains behind this despicable trade, and dismantle the organised crime groups involved.”
Dave Smith, Director of Border Force South East, adedd: “This is a significant sentence that sends a strong message that we will use every effort of UK law enforcement to disrupt criminal networks and stop drugs entering the UK.
“Working closely with NCA our investigations and intelligence worked to protect the UK borders from drug trafficking and bring those responsible to justice.”
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