A truck driver, Jakub Jan Konkel, aged 40, has been sentenced by a UK court to 13½ years in prison. He attempted to smuggle nearly $10 million worth of cocaine into England hidden within a shipment of clothing from Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand.
Konkel, a Polish national, drove a customized vehicle from the Netherlands to Essex in September. His truck contained nearly 200 pounds of cocaine, packaged in 2.2-pound units. These units were concealed in a compartment located inside the back doors of the vehicle.
According to investigators, Konkel was paid $5,243 to transport the drugs. Border officials stopped him at a port northeast of London. He and his vehicle arrived on a ferry from the Hook of Holland. The authorities X-rayed the cargo, revealing the hidden drugs.
Officials stated that the cocaine was packed into the truck during a 16-minute stop that the tachograph recorded. Konkel failed to report this stop during his interview with law enforcement.
The National Crime Agency confirmed that the parties involved in the legitimate import and export of the clothing were not involved in the drug smuggling. The SKIMS shipment was otherwise legitimate.
Kim Kardashian co-founded SKIMS in 2019. The company is currently valued at around $5 billion, while Forbes estimates Kardashian’s personal net worth at nearly $2 billion.