National Crime Agency
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‘Desperate risks’ of being a drugs mule
An x-ray showing the packages of cocaine swallowed by a drugs mule has been released by the National Crime Agency.
Mathew Atueyi, aged 48 from Nigeria, swallowed 80 packages of the drug - more than a kilo - when he flew from Port Harcourt in Nigeria to Edinburgh in August.
At a hearing at Edinburgh High Court recently, Atueyi was sentenced to three years by Lord Burns.
He was intercepted by Border Force officers when he landed at Edinburgh on 2nd August. He claimed he had come to Scotland to buy second hand clothes and shoes for his struggling fashion boutique in Nigeria.
An x-ray examination of Atueyi confirmed he had swallowed a large number of packages and he was taken into custody. Tests showed that they contained 1.2kg of high-purity cocaine which would have had a likely potential street value of nearly £400,000.
A National Crime Agency investigation was launched and, on 27 October, Atueyi pleaded guilty to importation of Class A drugs at Edinburgh High Court. He admitted importing the cocaine from Nigeria and said he was paid £2000 up front, with another £2000 promised when the drugs were safely delivered.
John McGowan of NCA Border Policing Command in Scotland said:
"We have taken the unusual step of releasing this photograph to highlight the desperate risks taken by drug mules.
“This is an extremely dangerous method of bringing drugs in to the UK. We have seen cases before where mules have swallowed up to 800 grammes of cocaine but 1.2 kilos is an exceptionally large amount to carry internally. The risk of one of the packages bursting - and causing death - is huge.
“What is particularly tragic is that often the individuals doing this are taking terrible risks on behalf someone else. Yes, they are committing a crime, but in many cases they are also victims themselves of the organised criminals behind the trade.
“Please don’t do this - the risks simply aren’t worth it. Even if you survive you will go to prison.
"At the other end of the chain, people who buy these drugs need to think about where they've come from and how they got into the UK.”
Colin Fraser, Assistant Director for Border Force in Edinburgh, said: “This case shows the lengths that smugglers will go to in their attempts to bring Class A drugs into the UK. Criminals who swallow packages like this are risking their lives. If one of the packages had split it could have been fatal.
“Border Force officers play a crucial role in border security by protecting the UK from illegal drugs and other contraband.
“Working with law enforcement colleagues including the NCA we are determined to do all we can to prevent drug trafficking and put those responsible behind bars.”
