[Music] In our ports and in our airports, the UK border agency is fighting a constant battle against smugglers. The rest of you, me. Coming up at Gatwick, officers take no chances with a suspicious traveler. For the duration of his time with us, he'll be monitored 24 hours a day. Sniffer dogs are put to the test in the war against drugs. See big packages of white powder coming out is a good sign that the dogs have done something right. And at least one man appreciates the work done by the border agents on the front line. Cuz they could have found bombs on there, right? The explos [Music] [Music] Gatwick airport. A flight has just come in from Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean is a known problem area for the production and distribution of class A drugs. And UK border agency officers are closely monitoring passengers as they pass through the airport. A lone male passenger has been stopped by officers. He claims to have come to the UK for a family wedding. Can I just ask you a little bit more about your You said you're over here for your sister's wedding. Yeah. On vacation, but she told she's getting married, so you know, I will attend at the same time. All right. So you had initially planned to come over here for a vacation and then you found out your sister was getting married. There any other family coming from Trinidad for your sister's wedding? Mother Mother supposed to come up. And when is she arriving in the UK? Do you know? Friday. Friday. Do you know which airport she's coming into? This airport. She's coming into this airport. What is the name of this airport again? This the name of this airport. The name of this airport is London Gatwick. Gatwick. Okay. You've flown into London Gatwick today. Having looked in the man's suitcase, officer Sarah chats to colleagues with concerns about the man's possessions. The clothing, it's all manner of sizes, ranging from medium through to D XL. They're quite new bags. The shoes are not the same size. There's nothing in there that I would expect somebody to wear to a wedding. Officers working in immigration have already called a phone number the man has provided for his sister. The sister apparently has made no mention to the immigration officer of the wedding. With too many holes in the man's story and with reason to doubt the purpose of his visit to the UK, Sarah is granted permission to conduct a search of the passenger. There are some things that I'm not satisfied with um that you've told me in terms of your reasons for coming over to the UK. Um, so for that reason, okay, um, I've had authorization to do a rub down search on you. It's going to be some of the male officers that will do the search on you, okay? They're going to take you into a room away from the channels here and but they'll explain to you exactly what they're going to do when they get into the room, okay? Because I want to make sure that you don't have anything with you that you shouldn't be bringing into the country. The man is led away as concerns grow that he may be a drug smuggler. To ensure all items brought into the country are legal and properly declared, UK border agency officers work round the clock at Gatwick every day. In addition, an elite group of sniffer dogs who are trained solely in the detection of illegal drugs also patrol daily. A call has come in about a discovery sniffer dog Megan has made in the cargo hold. As you see, she's just found it. And that's what she's doing. She's doing a free stair. Yay. He's a clever girl. What we got here basically is a consignment from South America. As Megan's gone round it, she's indicating cuz there's obviously smell coming out there. As Megan has given her award for indicating on the package, officers need to investigate exactly what it is she's found. It certainly feels like it's some sort of books. Um probably sort of heavyweight box which we've seen in the past with um the pages actually sort of taken out the the centers of the books and drugs concealed inside. Though officers are confident drugs are present, they must wait for permission to examine the content. In the meantime, they rebagged the packages so they can be used as a training aid for other sniffer dogs. What we've done now, we've brought our other dogs over so we can get them live rewarded. It's probably the best training we can do is in situ with live gear. So hopefully all our dogs are coming in, get rewarded on the scent, and then it just improves their abilities for later on. The introduction of sniffer dogs to the cargo hold has been extremely successful, allowing packages to be assessed in a fraction of the time. On a daily basis, we get sort of five, six tons of parcels and mail come through. So, the dogs will be able to sort of do that within half hour. To do it manually, you're talking hours and hours to actually manually go through each item of mail. On this test, all three dogs successfully indicate on the packages, but officers will need to wait to see if there are drugs inside. Good girl. In the airport's north terminal, the male passenger, who supposedly traveled to the UK for his sister's wedding, has been taken for a body search. His demeanor didn't seem right when I was talking to him at the gate. He said that basically his sister has paid half the ticket to come over here and half of the hotel booking fee. However, immigration spoken to his sister and she said, "No, I've not given him any money for the um ticket um but I am going to be paying half the hotel fee." Even though nothing is found during the search, officers still suspect the man may be smuggling drugs inside his body. A swab test is conducted on his shoes. Swallowers will often secrete traces of drugs in the sweat in their feet and a small trace for the presence of cocaine increases their suspicion. Okay, we're going to um ask him if he'll go through the X-ray. Okay. The man is taken to the body scanning machine to find out if he's got any packages inside him. Watch. We'll just ask you to stand on this conveyor belt like this. Okay? And then when we push a button, we'll move over towards the wall. Okay? Exhale. Hold your breath. Don't breathe in. Breathe in. Okay. Carry on breathing down. That's fine. Breathe as you want to follow me. [Music] The results from the X-ray are conclusive. [Music] I think there is something there. He looks very he looks very full up. This guy does look very comp. The images on um these screens do look like there is some kind of mass there. So it's it's quite possible that he he has got packages inside him. Sarah breaks the news to the passenger. Now I've had a look at the X-ray images in there. Okay. And I think that there may be something inside you. I think you may have swallowed possibly some packages of drugs. I'm arresting you on suspicion of being involved in the importation of a controlled drug. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand? Yes, ma'am. Okay. The man is put in handcuffs and escorted to the airport's custody suite. Officers have a duty of care to ensure that the packages of drugs pass through him as swiftly and safely as possible. In due course, he'll be interviewed um and for the duration of his time with us, he'll be monitored 24 hours a day. Um, and he will use a special toilet and pass the packages that he swallowed um, as nature takes his course. Since we've been in the custody suite here, um, Mr. has been into the toilet twice. Um, he's not passed any packages, so he's been put into a white paper suit in the custody suite here in the cell and then we'll be transporting him up to Heathrow in the prison van. The man was monitored at Gatwick Airport for a further 3 hours before being taken to Heathrow. He eventually passed 41 packages filled with cocaine. At the airport's cargo hold, officers have been given permission to search the two bags that sniffer dog Megan indicated contain drugs. The bags are taken to the cargo offices where it's the moment of truth. As officer Allan predicted, the smugglers have used book casings as a disguise. All different books in here. All cling film wraps. But their attempt at concealing whatever's inside was no match for sniffer dog Megan's sensitive nose. The uh book's been cut out. It's uh quite a crude concealment. Um obviously it doesn't take much finding on opening that book. So see big packages of white powder coming out is a it's a good sign that me dogs have done something right. So it's a celebration time, I think. But not before the packages are tested to see if the white powder definitely is cocaine. See, it's gone blue, indicating the presence of cocaine. I'm just estimating at the moment there's probably a couple of kilos per book. Obviously, we'll weigh it and get a proper total at the end. It's a massive seizure weighing in at over 20 kg and has a street value in the region of a million pounds. Officers are delighted in the knowledge that one customer will not be receiving their illegal goods. This turned out to be a good result today. So, uh, well chuffed. Coming up, Officer Hazel deals with two deceitful travelers with some long stories. You told me that she bought them on different days, and now you're changing what you're telling me. You can't expect me to believe you now. Coming up, sniffer dog Bren uncovers more drugs. His indication there was uh to freeze and to literally stare at the box. Uh it's tested positive to cocaine. [Music] At Gatwick Airport, border agency officers are paying close attention to holiday makers returning from Montego Bay in Jamaica. Passengers are being observed as they pass through immigration, and officer Linda's attention is drawn to a white-haired male who sat on a passenger transporter. She follows him down to the luggage reclaim area and waits to intercept him as he passes through the green nothing to declare channel. Hello there, sir. Are you traveling on your own today? Okay. Can I see your passport and your tickets, please? The man says he's been working out in Jamaica for the past 10 months and has traveled back to the UK for medical treatment. You fully aware it's illegal to import into the UK drugs, firearms, and decency material? Yeah. Okay. Super. Well, I don't take drugs anyway. So, just need to check that you understand it's illegal to bring them in. Anyway, THIS ONE. OKAY. RIGHT. Just bear with me. I'll have a look through that in a second. All right. Linda opens the man's suitcase to search for any illicit materials. And straight away she makes an unusual discovery. Why have you got one inside one? Cuz when I come back, so you're going to fill it up whilst whilst you're here. What kind of things you going to be buying then? Nothing really. Sometimes some tall stuff, right? Put that one back in your bag so it's safe. Linda opens up the second of the man's suitcases. And you got another one inside another one. That's it. Yeah. Well, that's what I'm going to carry. My hand is on a plate. Right. Okay. Yeah. See that like the Russian doll? So, what do you want me to do? Smile now or what? The man is clearly in good spirits. But Linda must thoroughly check the contents of his cases. Am I going to find another one in this one? No. That's it. That's it. Is it? That's it. Is it? This is all you've got for a couple of months stay. I got all me stuff over there. What are your sisters? Yeah. Okay. After a meticulous search of the man's possessions, Linda is happy he's carrying nothing illegal and he's free to go. Okay, Mr. Hitchens. Everything's wonderful. Thank you very much. Yep, that's fine. Okay. It's the first time I've ever been searched. I've been traveling all over the world. So anyway, that's her job cuz they could have found bombs on there, right? Explosives on it. So that's her job. Gadwick is the second busiest airport in the UK with hundreds of flights arriving daily. There are thousands of bags that need to be checked. Drug detection dogs are employed to assess bags before they're reclaimed by passengers in the baggage hall. This afternoon, luggage is being scanned from a Lithuanian flight, and Officer Hazel finds one bag on the X-ray, which he suspects contains a large quantity of cigarettes. If the cigarettes have originated in the European Union, their allowance is 3,200. If they're non-EU cigarettes, they're only entitled to 200. So, we have to work out where those cigarettes have come from. But until we speak to passengers, we won't know. Once the bag is identified, it's placed back on the carousel for the passenger to pick it up. Officers will observe closely to see who collects it and then stop them for questioning. Hello there. Hello. Where have we just flown in from? Just bring your bag. Are you traveling together? Yeah. Yes. Just bring your bags over here for me for a minute, please. Sorry. Do you have your passports, please? Yes. Yeah. Do you speak English? No. Only one of the women speaks English, so she'll act as a translator for a friend. And she lives in Do you have anything to declare to customs? No. Do you have any alcohol, cigarettes, or tobacco that you've bought? I have uh alcohol. Okay. Can you ask her if she has any alcoh No, she doesn't have any alcohol. What about cigarettes or tobacco? Yes, she has cigarettes. All right. Okay. How many she has? About 10 cartons. 10 cartons. Okay, let's have a quick look. Hazel knows from the X-ray that the passengers are lying about the number of cigarettes they're carrying, so she checks their suitcases for the evidence. If the cigarettes have been bought outside of the EU, they'll all be seized. Where did you buy these? In Lithuania? Yes. But the writing on the packets, along with the way in which the cigarettes have been packed, makes Hazel think otherwise. Why have you done this? I'm just wondering why she's wrapped them up in bras and things in her underwear. The 10 cartons the women declared they're carrying is a gross underestimate. 4,500. 4,280. But it's not just the quantity that's concerning Hazel. I don't think that's Lithuanian writing. We will check. Translating the writing on the packets will give officers an idea about where the cigarettes have come from. Look up nicotine. Okay. The writing on the packets looks Russian. So that nicotine is the Russian version. Yeah. Yeah. They look Russian. Naughty people. They're Russians. With over 22 times the legal limit of cigarettes each, the goods will be seized from the women unless they can prove they purchased them within the EU. It's not just passengers who attempt to smuggle illegal items. In the freight terminal, Officer Helen and sniffer dog Bren have just made a discovery on a batch of packages that have come in from Bridgetown in Barbados. About half an hour ago, we came down um to go over the packages that have come in. We offload all of this from the pallet. We empty it all out onto the floor. The dogs can then run over it and they'll indicate if they need to. If they find something, they'll indicate to show interest in a in a box, which we've put out again um just so that he is um completely sure that it's there. And that's his indication there. And that's the box that I'm looking for. Bren's indication strongly suggests the package contains drugs. His indication there was to freeze and to literally stare at the box. His tail sometimes wags a lot. Whereas if it's um if he's really really focused on it, he'll literally be completely still. Gadwick's sniffer dogs play a vital role in intercepting drugs being illegally imported into the country. This is what's inside the box. um doesn't really smell of anything. What what the officer's got there is a a cocaine reagent and um it normally comes out pink, but if it goes blue, then it tests positive. There we go. It's just gone blue straight away. It's it's tested positive to cocaine. It's actually impregnated t-shirts or clothing uh uh with cocaine. Bren's partnership with Helen was only forged 12 months ago, but already the pair have made a huge number of detections both in the freight terminal and on passengers. He's actually been quite successful for his first year. You're normally given a year or so to make sure that they know what they're looking for there that are sent libraries wide enough. And uh yeah, he's done really well for his first year. So I'm very very happy and very impressed. Good lad. Well done. Good boy. Back in the airport's south terminal, Officer Hazel is still questioning the Lithuanian women who have both been found with 22 times their legal limit of cigarettes. These are Russian cigarettes. That means that you're only entitled to bring in 200 of them. But we bought them in. You don't have the receipt, though. I understand. But I didn't know that. I I I need to have receipt. So, how much did you pay for all these? Well, you mean part one of them? Well, for all of them. If you bought them all at the same time, you'd know how much you'd spend. No, we didn't b at the same time. You see, if you don't have the money to buy them all at once, that suggests to me that you're bringing them here to sell them to make money. No. Well, that that's how it comes across to us as customs officers. So, here you've got 4,800. How long will that take us to get through those? Few few months. But Hazel has spotted something else that adds more doubt to the story. The number on the side here is exactly the same on all of these. On all of them. That would lead me to believe that you bought them all at the same time and that you bought them all in the same place. Double check. 4,000 1 2 Oh, so now she's bought them all at the same time, has she? So now you're changing your story. I didn't I didn't have any story. Okay. You told me that she bought them on different days and now you've just spoken to her again and now you're changing what you're telling me. You can't expect me to believe you now because of the things you've told me and the things that we found out. We are seizing the cigarettes from you. Okay? Seizing yours from you. Seize your cigarettes from you. We believe that you're bringing them here to to sell. If you can provide me with a paperwork that proves that you bought them in Lithuania and that they're tax paid, that's a different matter. Tell you, I don't have anybody in Lithuania who still have my receipts. The threat of losing her cigarettes is making the woman argumentative. Saying that I I can't bring 3,200. That's if you bring them in from a European Union country and that's where those cigarettes have originated from. These haven't. These are Russian cigarettes, but we bring But you need to prove that to me. Personally, I think they're probably here to sell them. Um, they're insisting that that's not the case. But she kept changing the things that she was saying to me about how and when they bought them, um, what quantities they bought them in. So, none of it really made any sense, and she got quite crossed by the end of it. I think it's the way it goes. They're seized, so if she wants to complain, she can do. The man who attempted to bring cocaine into the UK by swallowing 41 packages pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 years in prison. [Music]