'Britain's biggest drug lord' explains suitcase method he used to carry product through airports

A former drug dealer has revealed how he used to smuggle drugs through airports.

Andrew Pritchard was once part of a criminal network that transported millions of pounds worth of drugs around the world. Here's how he did it:

The ex-drug lord said he was 'addicted' to smuggling and loved the thrill of trying new ways of getting his gear past security.

And speaking to LADbible as part of our Crime Stories series, Pritchard said he came up with an almost foolproof method.

"Smuggling, I don't know, I just loved it," he told us.

"And that's the worst thing, it was an addiction to me, because the kind of person I am, I like to experiment with things, ya know?

"So instead of kamikaze with the cases... I used to use the hardback Samsonite cases. So I'd have someone down at the airport, in Jamaica or wherever we're going from, put on the case, the case would literally be jam packed with product, and a sponge at both ends so there's no movement."

Jaromír Chalabala/Alamy

He went on: "We'd get the Samsonite suitcase and what we'd do was we'd put a big scratch down one side.

"And then we always used to put two cases on the plane.

"The passenger would board the plane with his bit of luggage, which, of course, was the product bag, right, which would go on there."

Pritchard then explained that while the scratched bag would have the drugs inside, the other, which was tagged and had a lock on it, would be filled with the smuggler's clothes.

Once they arrived at the airport, they would then go to the conveyor belt to pick up the scratched bag, leaving the other, and make his way through security.

He said: "And if he did get stopped, customs would say, 'What's the combination?' he'd give them his combination, they'd be like, 'It ain't opening', they'd levy it open, they'd find the gear, and he'd get taken to a holding cell.

"So then he'd start kicking off, 'This ain't my case, this ain't my case!' Then, about an hour later, when the airport had cleared, there'd be this other suitcase going on the carousel.

"So they'd call him back in; hey presto, he'd give them the combination, they'd pop it and it's got his dirty clothes in now."

Adding: "It was a very hard one for them to get out of because, of course, if he ain't checked in that luggage, it's a question of who checked it in.

"There were more methods of smuggling that you could shake a stick at."

Topics: Crime, Drugs

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom