London – A British woman has been sentenced to more than 21 years in prison after authorities recovered a huge cache of heroin worth £8.5 million from her home, in a case described by investigators as a major blow to an organised international drug trafficking network.
According to UK law enforcement officials, the woman was found in possession of approximately 85 kilograms of heroin, which had been concealed and stored inside her residence. The discovery was made during a targeted raid carried out by the National Crime Agency (NCA) following intelligence-led surveillance into a suspected drug smuggling operation.
Investigators revealed that the house was being used as a processing and distribution point, with rooms adapted for repackaging the narcotics before onward supply across the United Kingdom. Equipment including weighing scales, packaging materials and containers used for preparing kilogram-sized consignments was also seized during the operation.
Court proceedings heard that the heroin had been smuggled into the UK through concealed shipments, forming part of a wider organised crime network with international links. Authorities said digital evidence, including phone messages and financial records, pointed to the woman’s active role in coordinating logistics and handling large sums of illicit cash.
During sentencing, the judge described the offence as extremely serious, noting that the scale of the operation had the potential to cause widespread harm through addiction, crime and social damage. The court rejected any claims of minor involvement, ruling that the accused played a central role in the trafficking network.
UK prosecutors said the lengthy prison sentence reflects the justice system’s firm stance against large-scale drug trafficking and serves as a warning to those involved in organised crime. The National Crime Agency reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling international drug networks and preventing harmful substances from reaching communities.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.