In our ports and in our airports, the UK Border Agency is fighting a constant battle against smugglers. The rest [music] of you. Oh, you're killing me. Coming up, an angry man causes some excitement at Birmingham Airport. It's like I said. Don't get excited for no reason, though. Just calm down. excited, man. Don't look excited. [music] Could a woman from Trinidad and Tobago be carrying packages of drugs for a friend? Has he forced you to bring anything here? No. Are you sure? Cuz now's the time to let me know. And suspected cigarette smugglers from the Canary Islands play dumb to questioning in Bristol. Where are you going back to now? Home. Yeah, I could have guessed that, a bit. [music] [music] At Gatwick Airport, a flight has just touched down from Port of Spain in the Caribbean. UK Border Agency officers are out in force with the aid of [music] drug detection dogs to stop illegal substances from being imported [music] into the country. Lower your bag, please, for the dog. While sniffer dogs assess the passengers' hand luggage, officers [music] are on the lookout for behavioral indicators. I just want to do a passport check. Excuse me. Do you have a passport and ticket, please? Are you traveling with anybody else today? No. Thank you. What's the reason for your visit? I'm here on business. You're on small business, too? Yeah. What's What type of other business? Um I'm into I'm marketing my company. All right. So, I'm looking for um sourcing foreign investors. All right. Yeah. Sniffer dog Jessie continues to check passengers coming off the flight. But the officer hasn't finished with the car mechanic just yet. This is your Customs controlled area. Do you have anything to declare to Customs today at all? Yeah, you've got suitcases as well. Yeah. These are your bags? [music] Did you pack them yourself? So you're fully aware of the contents? Has anybody asked you or forced you to bring anything into the country for them? You know it's illegal to bring in drugs, weapons, and things like that, yeah? Okay. And you have baggage duty-free allowances? Cigarettes, alcohol. Okay, so a quick look through. Can you just take a step that way for me? Thanks. Officers have a very short window of opportunity to stop drug smugglers coming into the country. Intuition is vital in stopping suspicious passengers. Feels like there's an area in here. I'm just going to cut into that. Okay? Yeah. After tearing into the briefcase, it doesn't take long to make a significant discovery. I've found what I suspect to be cocaine there. So I'm arresting you on suspicion of being involved in your importation of a controlled drug. You do not have to say anything. It may harm your defense. If you don't mention when questioned, it may be used against you later on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand? Okay. With the inner lining of the briefcase stuffed with a white powder, officers suspect they've intercepted a drug seizure worth thousands of pounds. The passenger will now be detained and taken to the custody suite for further questioning. At Birmingham Airport, one of the daily flights [music] from Dubai has just landed. As passengers collect their luggage from the reclaim [music] area, Officer John is observing two men traveling together who separated as they came through immigration. Yeah, he's just he just brought his stuff out. I thought he was on the moon. It's suspicious behavior, so John decides to stop the first of the passengers as he comes through the customs channels. Hello, sir. Where have you arrived from today, please? Dubai. Dubai. May I just see your passport, please? Okay, are you traveling by yourself today? Yeah, man. Yeah? Just been away for holiday? Yeah, just six days. How long were you away for? Six, seven days, man. Six, seven days? Is it in family? Yeah, man. Yeah, what family have you got? Why ask I've been I've been stopped already, man. Yeah, and I'm just fortunately this is this this is the way we do things. Okay, hold on. Hold on. No, no, don't don't open it yet. No, yeah, but I need to ask the questions first. This is your bag, yeah? Yeah, it's my bag. Did you pack it yourself? Yes, yes. Are you aware of the contents of the bag? yes, yes, yes. Okay. Yes. Are you carrying anything for anyone else? no, no. Okay, are you you aware that there's certain things you can't Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. such as controlled drugs? Yes, man. Firearms? Yes, firearms, you know. Are you mad? Weapons? Indecent, obscene material? know, man. Just open the bag, man. I want to go, man. Okay, listen, I'm asking the questions. Okay, are you aware of your allowances that you're allowed to bring in such as cigarettes and alcohol? So, do you have anything to declare to customs? all, man. Nothing at all? man. Okay, let's just As soon as I do this, as soon as we can all finish, okay? John becomes concerned by the man's aggressive nature and his claims that he's traveling alone. Hello. If you could just stay off your phone for me as well, please. Okay, you need to look what I'm doing and you need to cut the phone call, okay? You need to cut the phone call. You can't have phones in the area. [music] Yeah, I'm relaxed, okay? And the sooner we get this done, the sooner you can be on your way. Okay? Excellent. Not wasting anyone's time. Yeah, put it on. Help yourself. As the man becomes more and more erratic, John suspects he may have something to hide. There you go. Look, I'm even folding them for you. Who's asking you to fold them? I don't I'm just trying to be pleasant, aren't I? If I If I'm pleasant, you can be pleasant. With every step of the search causing an argument, he may be here a long time. [ __ ] heaven. I'll just leave it there [music] for you. You can do what you like with it. At Gatwick, [music] the man arrested on suspicion of smuggling cocaine in a briefcase has been brought over to the airport's custody suite. [music] Having been caught red-handed, he started changing [music] his story. When we took him to his cell, he said that uh the satchel was handed to him by somebody else at the airport. He's asked to bring that through. So, he says this isn't his case. But then he already told me [music] that it was his earlier on. Um we made the arrest cuz we found the package inside, um which is in the front here, the front wall, and in the back wall. Um earlier on I cut into the front one. So, what I'll do now is just remove some of that white powder with a knife. Just goes blue. Looks Yep, there we go. So, it's gone blue. [music] So, that's positive. That should be cocaine. With their suspicions [music] confirmed, the drugs in the briefcase will now be assessed and weighed before the passenger's story is formally [music] investigated. Um there was only five envelopes in there. Um and now that I've taken those out, it's still quite heavy. You can [music] feel that the walls are quite wide. There's no need for them to be that wide. [music] You can feel that there's something in there, front and back. The back section is quite well done, though. As regards the stitching, you can't really see anything [music] wrong with the stitching. It's just literally how thick it is. The courier himself, I don't know how much money he would [music] have got, maybe 1,000, 2,000 lbs perhaps. Um but then the risk of getting caught, yeah, losing out on all the money um is quite high as well. The briefcase [music] was found to be carrying over 2 and 1/2 kilos of cocaine with a value of more than 125,000 [music] lbs. In Birmingham, Officer John is still searching the bags of the man who seems to have left his manners in Dubai. What's in here? Nothing much. Tell me what it is. It's flavored, mate. Flavored? It's um shisha, mate. Say again? It's nothing. You can open it and see for yourself. The man is being deliberately vague about his tub containing shisha tobacco. So, what do you do? Do you eat it or drink it or You chew it. You chew it? For flights outside the EU, passengers are allowed to carry just 250 g of loose tobacco. The tub is four times the allowance. So, what is it like? Uh sugar or tobacco? Well, it's only one, innit? Am I allowed to carry one? Yeah, I just wanted to know what it is. I've never seen it before. one. I'm allowed to carry Okay, I'm just going to leave it there for a second. That's it, mate. Nothing else? No, nothing else. You got anything in your pockets there? No, you want to search me? We've already been searched. You want to search me again? No, all I wanted to was asking you about your your jeans pockets, that's all. But despite his assurances that he's carrying nothing else, a further item is found in his suitcase. They were starting there? That's probably a girls feminine. I've got a problem with the back of the gun. So it must be What do you think it is? I don't know. That's what I'm asking you. With the man being evasive, John suspects he may have discovered an illegal substance. Just don't say anything, okay? 10 packs, man. What the girls want for their periods, man. Okay, just like I say. You're getting excited for no reason, you know. Just calm down. getting excited, man. Look, I'm not I'm not ex- That's a controlled drug. Do I look excited? Get out of here, man. I'm a backpacker. Yeah, that's cocaine. That's what I can check, isn't it? That's what I can check, okay? So I'm just going to go and check. So you stay here with this officer. Okay, keep calm and we'll be back out. A sanitary towel is taken away to see if it's concealing drugs. Meanwhile, officers have intercepted the passenger's suspected traveling companion and confiscated more than 12 kg of loose tobacco. Just don't complain, yeah? The results on the sanitary towel show no traces of drugs. I don't give it to me, man. It's cocaine in it. You keep it for your souvenir, sir. Officers suspect the man's performance may have been an unsuccessful distraction tactic to prevent his traveling companion from being stopped. [music] Just the type of character he was some people just don't like dealing with officials and and he was one of those. There you go, sir. Thanks very much. Have a nice day. Coming up. It's come up as positive for contact with cocaine. Is there an unsuspecting drug mule at Gatwick? And she said one comment that got me interested. Oh god, I hope he hasn't put anything in my bag. Coming [music] up, smugglers go bust in Bristol. All right, well, I'll tell you the allowance is 200 cigarettes. 200? That's what you're allowed to bring back. So, I take it that you've got an excess of your allowance. Yeah, I have that. [music] Gatwick is the second largest airport in the UK. And numerous flights land from the Caribbean [music] every day. Sniff this one a little bit. Officers are observing passengers from a Trinidad and Tobago flight. And sniffer dog Lucy is using her sensitive nose to [music] search for traces of drugs. A lone female passenger has caught the eye of officers. So, she's pulled over in the customs channels [music] to answer a few questions about her visit to the Caribbean. Do you know anybody out in Trinidad and Tobago? Do you have friends out there? [music] Well, this is a friend there in Tobago. All right, okay. So, you stayed with him or her? Yeah. Is it a lady or a man? It's a man. A man, okay. Right. Okay. So, you've come back. These are all your bags, are they? This and this here? You know everything that's in these bags. You packed them yourself? Do you know what's But the woman starts to get upset because she's already had her bags searched in Trinidad and Tobago. Did you pay for your trip yourself? My friend paid. Oh, your friend who lives out there, is it? Okay. And I don't think he's a drug dealer. Okay. Officer John is immediately alarmed by the woman's last comment. Do you use drugs or anything? Or does your friend use drugs as far as you're aware? What do you mean, drugs? Class A, what we call Class A, cocaine, heroin. used any drugs. That's right. Thank you for letting me A swab test is carried out on the woman's suitcase. Okay, let me one moment. The test will show whether the woman has come into contact with any drugs on her visit to the Caribbean. [music] It's come up as positive for contact with cocaine. So, I'll ask the lady now if she can explain why that would [music] be in her case. I'll just ask her a few more questions now. Okay, madam. That machine test has come up positive for contact with cocaine. Is there any reason, as I say, I'll ask again, do you use cocaine or does your friend use cocaine as far as you're aware? The woman [music] gets tearful, which raises John's suspicions even further. But you don't use it. You're certain about that. Okay. Well, because of that, it means I do need to have a turn out and have a quick look inside it, okay? Don't worry. Don't get upset. Don't worry. he put something in my bag. Well, let's see. How long have you known your friend? Not very long. Okay. And how do you know him? From where? He lived in London and it's just a small little business and he looks like he's really having a business and he's respectable, so I don't know. Okay. Clearly, the woman doesn't know her male friend very well. John has further doubts about her story. Has he forced you to bring anything here? No. Are you sure? Cuz now's the time to let me know. He hasn't hasn't given me anything. Like, he hasn't tell me anything to carry with him or him. Right. So, I'll quick scan through the X-ray. It's just at the end of the hall there. So, if you just wait for me and have a look at what I'm doing. You just stay there. She's tearful and she seems quite nervous. And she said one comment that got me a bit interested, "Oh god, I hope he hasn't put anything in my bag." Which is a normal thing for somebody to say. The X-ray of the bag will show if the woman knows more than she's letting on. At Bristol Airport, holiday makers have just arrived home from Fuerteventura. Although the Canary Islands are part of the European Union, [music] passengers are strictly limited to bringing back no more than 200 cigarettes. A lone female passenger in a blue top has [music] been observed acting nervously. Border Agency officers decide to stop her as she passes through the customs channels. [music] Hello, madam. Where have you just come from? Fuerteventura. Fuerteventura. Can I have a quick chat for a second? Are you traveling on your own? Yes. Yes. And where are you going back to now? Is this all your luggage? Yes. Packed it yourself? Yes. Are you carrying anything for anybody else? No. No? No. Okay. You come down the green, nothing to declare channel. Do you understand what your allowances are? About 300, you know. All right. Well, I'll tell you the allowances. 200 cigarettes. 200? That's what you're allowed to bring back. I thought you could bring 200 back. No, no. No, no. In Spain you can. Fuerteventura is not mainland Spain. And it's outside of the EU for tax purposes. So, you can only bring back 200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco. So, I take it that you've got an excess of your allowance. Yeah, I have, yeah. Okay. The woman admits [music] exceeding her allowance, but Officer Mark wants to see how many cigarettes she's carrying. So, do do you actually know how many cigarettes you have all together or are you not sure? don't know whether I bought 200 on the way out cuz I can't all together still count. And I'm not sure whether I've still got any of them left. Well, anything you buy on this way out loses its identity anyway, so it it counts towards your allowance when you come back in again. With over 800 cigarettes in her hand luggage, the woman's naivety towards the restrictions doesn't convince. [music] Should be all right cuz I haven't brought back any cigarettes for ages, you know. I think that's what I bought back. Have you got your um your passport on you there, please? The suitcase is searched for any remaining cigarettes. Thank you very much. If you just bear with me a second, I'm just going to go and do a couple of checks, okay? Uh you can put the clothing back in if you want to, but not the cigarettes. I'll be back in a second. Mark is pulled aside by a colleague [music] searching another passenger. Suspiciously, her cigarettes are almost [music] identical. Hold on. Where are you going back to now? Home. Yeah, kind of guessed that, but where's home? Um Same area. There's a whole crowd of women down there. Yeah. This lady says the bag doesn't belong to her, but she's going to tell me who. I think she's going to tell me. Probably yours. Same area. Officers are starting to think there's a link between the passengers, but we'll have to investigate further. [music] In Gatwick, a woman's suitcase is being x-rayed after it tested positive for the presence of cocaine. Case doesn't appear to have any contents in it. It's very light. Nothing is found hidden in the suitcase, but Officer John isn't finished with the woman yet. How come my bag is the reason for those empty readings in there? Well, that's that's what's intrigued me. That's what's intrigued me. The mystery behind the high cocaine trace means the search is taken to the next level. Now, as I say, I've had a look in your bag. I'm satisfied there's nothing in there and quite happy about that, but sometimes people do bring in drugs on their body or inside their body. What I'd like to do is to do a search, check these My female colleague's going to do that, just to check to see that you're not carrying anything on your body because of the high reading and because of where you've come from, [music] that's my concern. Okay? Despite the woman's tears, she's led away to have a strip search. Right. If you just want to take a seat for a minute cuz So, just got some forms and stuff to fill out, all right? The woman's shoes are also taken away to be swab tested. Positive traces of drugs found from this test often suggest that the passenger is carrying drugs inside their body. It's quite a low reading for cocaine on the shoe, not anywhere near what was in the bag. And where she's come from, Trinidad and Tobago, then that maybe isn't an unreasonable background contamination. Nothing is found during the strip search, and John is happy she's not carrying anything illegal. Thank you very much for your patience with us, all right? We're happy there that um you've got nothing, so you're free to go on your way since you're ready. Thank you. A strip search is very invasive. We wouldn't do that for no reason whatsoever. That's quite a a big thing, and obviously she was quite upset by that. We're not going to do a body scan unless it actually is justified, and in this instance that wasn't warranted, so we didn't proceed to that. And I believe that she didn't have any [music] prohibited or restricted goods on her this morning. Back in Bristol, an investigation is underway into whether two suspected cigarette smugglers are linked. That lady down there, is is that bag that she's carrying yours? No. It's not yours? No, it's not. And you say you are traveling on your own? Yeah, I am. We know each other. Oh, you do know her? Well, we cycle together, you know, I'm not on holiday with her. All right, then. Let me just film you anyway. Just a few checks to do. Officer Mark goes to check whether the woman has a history of smuggling goods. [music] So, it was last year, Cardiff Airport. And 2006, so it must have been again from 2006. The database reveals the woman has had goods seized [music] on more than one occasion. Have you ever had problems with customs or border controls before? You've had big taken before? Ceased? Yeah. You have? Yeah. Okay, where was that or when was that? Here. When Bristol? Here. But you don't know you don't know how long ago? Roughly? No, I don't. I just haven't bought any duty free back for a long time. Were your goods seized last year? Last year. Yeah. The Cardiff Airport. 2,000 cigarettes. It was only last year. It was, yes. Another time you had 2,000 cigarettes seized. So you must have known what the allowances were. You must have been quite aware you were taking my cigarettes from me. I've been told that it's been you know that it's been changed now. Who told you that? Well, the people out there that we you know that we can buy cigarettes from in the shops. You don't think they told you that to sort of sell you more cigarettes perhaps? But I mean I know it's relatively small amount, but obviously you are six times over the over the limit. So uh It's a learning lesson. Whatever the truth, the woman is having her cigarettes seized yet again. I mean I'm not saying it's a huge amount of cigarettes, but at the end of the day she's got six times what is the allowance and she's a previous offender. Okay, those receipts from what I've had to take from you. Uh Listen. Don't listen to what the people tell you in the shops. It's uh All right then. Thank you for your time anyway. She knew. She knew the lady at the end down there but said that she wasn't traveling with her. And it it begs the question are they all traveling together and do all the goods belong to one person? But it it doesn't matter cuz we've we've seized the goods anyway. The passenger found with 2 and 1/2 kilos [music] of cocaine in his briefcase pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 7 years in prison. [music] Mhm.