Two Jailed For Bolivian Cocaine Concealed In Drill

Two cocaine dealers, caught with over £1m worth of the drug cunningly concealed within a drilling tool shipped from Bolivia, have been caged.

Agim Recica, 39, (pic.top) of Douglas Court, Squires Lane, Finchley and Ilir Qefalija, 36, (pic.2^nd top) were caught in a police swoop empting the cocaine into a black bin liner.

Recica received nine years imprisonment at Harrow Crown Court for importing and intending to supply 6 kilos of cocaine and Qefalija received six years for possession, with intent to supply.

The operation was conducted by officers from the Middle Market Drugs Partnership (MMDP) - a unit made up of officers and staff from the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Directorate, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Border Force.

The court heard how on August 2, last year officers from MMDP observed Recica accepting delivery of a large wooden crate at the Fortis Green Car Valeting Services, East Finchley.

He dismantled the crate and removed a large metal industrial 'packer'- a specialist tool used in the drilling industry- before loading this into his van and driving away from the car wash.

Police watched him park at the rear of his home address, with his van parked towards the end of the parking area, in a position where the side of the vehicle could not easily be observed.

At this point he had been joined by his accomplice Qefalija and the men were actively dismantling the packer and decanting a white powder from within the heavy industrial tube.

Officers quickly moved in and arrested the pair.

The packer was found in the nearside side door of the van (pic.bottom) having been stripped down to reveal an extremely sophisticated concealment.

Traces of white powder were found inside the van and on the floor of the car park and close to the front passenger’s door there was a black bin liner containing six kilos of white powder that had been removed from the packer.

Recica was found in possession of a mobile phone and the screen showed that there had been four missed calls from a Bolivian telephone number.

Investigations revealed the packer had been sent from Bolivia and had arrived at Heathrow Airport on July 29. 


Laboratory tests were conducted on the white powder and revealed the substance to be 6 kilograms of high purity cocaine with a street value of 1.2 million pounds.

Detective Inspector Steven Miles of Middle Market Drugs Partnership said “The sophistication of the concealment methods used by this organised criminal network shows a determination to evade detection and flood the streets of London with harmful class A drugs.

“The vigilance of the United Kingdom Border Agency and Middle Market Drugs Partnership thwarted this criminal enterprise and resulted in these convictions.”

Assistant Director Peter Avery, of Border Force, said: “This smuggling attempt shows the lengths criminals are prepared to go to in their attempts to transport drugs around the world.

“Working with our law enforcement partners here in the UK and around the world, we are determined to prevent this terrible trade which can have such a destructive impact on the lives of so many.”