Long prison sentences after coke smuggling in a private jet

london - Four men pretended to be businessmen and rented a private plane to smuggle drugs. They flew from Britain to Colombia, supposedly to go to a Bruno Mars concert. When they returned in January, however, they ran into the lamp. Two Britons and one Spaniard are sentenced to 24 years in prison, another Spaniard received 20 years in prison.

The four had no less than 500 kilos of cocaine in their baggage. According to the British justice, they could have sold the drugs for £ 41 million, or over EUR 45 million.

The four were masons and waiters in daily life, but for smuggling they pretended to be active in the world of virtual money and in the music industry. They paid about 150,000 euros in cash to rent a plane. On the day of departure they were taken to the airport with luxury cars. They also arranged for a specific company to handle the plane in Colombia. There an armored car brought the drugs to the plane. Also, the gang had engaged a fake agent with fake dog to pretend that the baggage was checked.

The smugglers were caught when they landed at an airport southwest of London. Customs found 513 blocks of cocaine. The four said they had no idea how the drugs had got there.