Email Ewald Banai, a 57-year-old Surinamese national resident in Holland, was arrested by Revenue and Customs officers when he arrived at Belfast International Airport on a flight from Amsterdam in October last year. During routine questioning, officers became suspicious and Mr Banai was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital for X-ray examination. One hundred small packages were recovered and on subsequent testing proved to contain a total of 1.07 kilos of cocaine with a street value of £207,000. Sentencing him at Antrim Crown Court, Judge Grant described Banai as "a habitual re-offender". He had previous involvement in Holland for drugs offences relating to cocaine and heroin. The judge said he wanted to "stamp out the illegal importation of drugs into Northern Ireland". John Whiting, Assistant Director Criminal Investigation and the HMRC said after the case; "HMRC is working closely with the police and other law enforcement agencies such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency to protect the public from the significant and damaging effects drugs have on our communities. "This collaboration is helping to protect the UK from the violence and corruption that always accompanies the trade in illegal drugs.
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