Truck Driver Sentenced for Smuggling Cocaine into England

A 40-year-old truck driver, Jakub Jan Konkel, received a 13½-year prison sentence by a UK court for attempting to smuggle nearly $10 million worth of cocaine into England. The drugs were concealed within a 28-pallet shipment of clothing from Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand.

Konkel drove a customized vehicle from the Netherlands to Essex in September. Inside the truck, nearly 200 lbs. of cocaine were packaged in 2.2 lb. units. These were hidden in a compartment in the vehicle’s back doors.

Investigators revealed that Konkel, a Polish national, was paid $5,243 to carry the illegal goods. Border officials stopped him at a port northeast of London after the truck arrived on a ferry from the Hook of Holland. The cargo underwent an X-ray examination.

Authorities suspect the drugs were loaded during a 16-minute stop noted in Konkel’s tachograph. He had not mentioned this stop in discussions with law enforcement.

Skims apparel displayed at a Nordstrom store. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The UK’s National Crime Agency declared that neither the parties involved in the clothing import and export nor the company were part of the drug operation. The shipment itself was legitimate.

Skims, co-founded by Kardashian in 2019, is estimated to be worth $5 billion. Forbes estimates Kardashian’s personal wealth at nearly $2 billion.