Man who claimed to “only be bringing sombreros” from Mexico to UK caught with £5.6 million in cocaine

A man has been jailed for 10 years after a bag he claimed only contained sombreros was found to contain £5.6 million worth of cocaine.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), 35-year-old Kristopher Purvis was searched by Border Force officers upon landing at Edinburgh Airport following a flight from Mexico to the UK via a stopover in Paris.

Purvis and a companion had travelled through the nothing-to-declare channel with a black briefcase and a plastic bag containing novelty sombreros.

Following a search, officers found 4.8 kilos of package-wrapped cocaine with a purity of around 52%.

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“Kristopher Purvis attempted to appear like an innocuous tourist and claimed to only be carrying sombrero souvenirs. The truth was, the luggage he was carrying contained millions of pounds worth of drugs,” the NCA’s Donnie Lawrie said in a statement.

“Purvis was used as a mule for the criminals keen to increase their profits when selling drugs on the streets of the UK. The NCA continues to work closely with UK Border Force, police forces and other law enforcement partners throughout the world to reduce the supply of Class A drugs intended for the UK market.”

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Detective Chief Inspector Laura Sands, Police Scotland, said: “This conviction and sentencing serves as yet another example of our ongoing commitment to target the supply and distribution of controlled drugs across Scotland, which remains an absolute priority for the Organised Crime Partnership and its partners.

“This intervention and subsequent detection disrupted an attempt to bring a significant volume of class A controlled drugs into the country,” she continues.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that information from our local communities is an essential part of our investigations, as we work to disrupt the drugs trade and work with our partners to bring those responsible to justice.”

Megan Townsend is Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter