TWO men have admitted importing £200,000-worth of herbal cannabis into the UK - via a property in South Norwood.
Tien Le, 33, of no fixed abode, and Loc Tan Nguyen, 55, of Tennison Road, South Norwood, led a plot to smuggle 17kg of drugs through German customs into this country.
Croydon Crown Court heard how a consignment of two parcels addressed to a property in South Norwood was intercepted by German border control officers in Cologne, on April 14 last year.
The parcels, which were found to contain 32 packages of herbal cannabis, were forwarded onto Heathrow and collected by Border Force officers, who then passed the items to officers from the Croydon Crime Squad.
Police seized the drugs - which were later estimated to have a street value of approximately £200,000 - and officers arranged for a controlled delivery of dummy parcels to be made to the address.
The delivery was made on April 19 and the parcels were signed for by Le on behalf of Nguyen, who were later arrested.
Having pleaded guilty at a hearing last month, the two men were sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday.
Le was jailed for 16 months, while Nguyen was given a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
After the hearing, Detective Constable Kieran Given, from Croydon Crime Squad, who investigated the case, said: "The presence of drugs seriously harms our communities - whether it is through the direct impact on the health of those using the drugs, or the impact of crime and antisocial behaviour that is linked to the supply and use of drugs.
"We remain determined to tackle those involved in the supply or use of drugs and would encourage members of the public to contact their local police if they suspect the presence of drugs in their community - we can and will take action."
