Batley air passenger jailed for smuggling nearly £1m of heroin

Adil Mehmood Zaki, of Holly Grove, Batley, was found guilty of drug smuggling after a five-day trial at Manchester Crown Court.

The Pakistani national, 44, was stopped by Border Police on October 20 last year.

He had arrived on a flight from Islamabad.

The seizure was made when a drugs detector dog alerted its handler to the luggage.

An inspection found 4.23kg of heroin hidden inside the bases of three trolley bags.

It was estimated the drugs were worth £916,500.

Assistant director for Border Force Phil Shields said: “This was an excellent seizure that has kept a large amount of harmful drugs off the streets.

“I would like to thank all the officers involved for their hard work and vigilance.

“It is also a good example of the work of our detector dogs who played a vital role in this seizure.”

Anyone with information about smuggling should call 0800 59 5000.