London - An alleged drug smuggler accused of importing R13 million of heroin into the UK from South Africa in cat crates appeared in a London court on Thursday.
Scott Parker, who lives in Benoni and works as a “pet relocation consultant”, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court via video link from prison, where he has been held since his arrest on November 21.
He spoke only to confirm his name during the short three-minute hearing when he was further kept in custody until his next court date in February.
Parker, who has dual South African and British nationality, is accused of smuggling 15kg of heroin in secret compartments at the bottom of three crates being used to transport three cats to the UK.
The pets were flying from OR Tambo International to London’s Heathrow, where their owners were returning.
When airport workers unloaded the crates from the aircraft, they noticed the boxes were unusually heavy once the cats had been removed and began to investigate.
They discovered the false bottoms and the drugs inside and called Britain’s National Crime Agency. The agency estimated the Class A drug has a street value of about R13m.
Parker was then arrested when he arrived to collect the cats, which have since been reunited with their owners.
Paul Bolton from the National Crime Agency’s Border Policing Command said: “This was an unusual concealment and if sold in the UK, the heroin would have had a value of (over) £750 000 (R13m).”
The Star