The baby-faced drug smuggler and the huge wheel of cheese
There was more to the 8kg block of Parmesan than met the eye
Jamie Choi said she bought the 8kg wheel of cheese for friends
A woman tried to smuggle £800,000 worth of crack cocaine into the UK hidden inside a giant wheel of cheese. The audacious plot was uncovered when Jamie Choi was stopped as she got off a flight from Brazil with what appeared to be an 8kg block of Parmesan.
When Border Force officers asked the 23-year-old Californian about the cheese she told them that a friend had suggested she buy the Parmesan from Peru for them to try. When officers examined the wheel they found it contained crack cocaine with a purity of 94%. For all the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter
Isleworth Crown Court heard the matter was referred to the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the subsequent investigation found that Choi had travelled from Los Angeles to Lima in Peru before flying to Asuncion in Paraguay and then jetting to Heathrow Airport after changing flights in Sau Paulo, Brazil.
Jamie Choi
(Image: NCA)
A notebook found in the defendant's handbag contained a single handwritten memo dated May 21, 2025 – the day she left Lima. It read: "I dropped out of UCSB [University of California Santa Barbara] on Monday. Currently I am in Paraguay in South America solo travelling for the first time. It's been amazing so far."
Article continues below
US national Jamie Choi had previously pleaded guilty to importing Class A drugs when she returned to the dock for sentencing. With a discount for her guilty plea she was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.
The 8kg wheel of cheese which Choi used to try to smuggle crack cocaine into the UK
(Image: NCA)
Speaking after the sentencing, NCA senior investigating officer Barry Vinall said: "We've seen people trying to smuggle cocaine into the UK hidden inside all manner of innocuous-looking items but Border Force and the National Crime Agency are well-practised in finding drugs whatever the disguise.
Article continues below
"Smuggling drugs into the UK is simply not a risk worth taking – it has consequences as seen in this case."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
20 hours ago
- Wales Online
The baby-faced drug smuggler and the huge wheel of cheese
The baby-faced drug smuggler and the huge wheel of cheese There was more to the 8kg block of Parmesan than met the eye Jamie Choi said she bought the 8kg wheel of cheese for friends A woman tried to smuggle £800,000 worth of crack cocaine into the UK hidden inside a giant wheel of cheese. The audacious plot was uncovered when Jamie Choi was stopped as she got off a flight from Brazil with what appeared to be an 8kg block of Parmesan. When Border Force officers asked the 23-year-old Californian about the cheese she told them that a friend had suggested she buy the Parmesan from Peru for them to try. When officers examined the wheel they found it contained crack cocaine with a purity of 94%. For all the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter Isleworth Crown Court heard the matter was referred to the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the subsequent investigation found that Choi had travelled from Los Angeles to Lima in Peru before flying to Asuncion in Paraguay and then jetting to Heathrow Airport after changing flights in Sau Paulo, Brazil. Jamie Choi (Image: NCA) A notebook found in the defendant's handbag contained a single handwritten memo dated May 21, 2025 – the day she left Lima. It read: "I dropped out of UCSB [University of California Santa Barbara] on Monday. Currently I am in Paraguay in South America solo travelling for the first time. It's been amazing so far." Article continues below US national Jamie Choi had previously pleaded guilty to importing Class A drugs when she returned to the dock for sentencing. With a discount for her guilty plea she was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. The 8kg wheel of cheese which Choi used to try to smuggle crack cocaine into the UK (Image: NCA) Speaking after the sentencing, NCA senior investigating officer Barry Vinall said: "We've seen people trying to smuggle cocaine into the UK hidden inside all manner of innocuous-looking items but Border Force and the National Crime Agency are well-practised in finding drugs whatever the disguise. Article continues below "Smuggling drugs into the UK is simply not a risk worth taking – it has consequences as seen in this case."
ITV News
21 hours ago
- ITV News
Multi-million pound drug and gun gang jailed for combined 207 years in Greater Manchester
The leader of a multi-million pound drug and gun operation who continued to call the shots from his Spanish home has been jailed for 43 years. Jamie Rothwell, 38, was in charge of a drug empire with an estimated street value of around £26 million and trafficked high-powered weapons such as AK-47 rifles into the UK. But he was exposed after European law enforcement hacked into the EncroChat encrypted communications network, a system used by organised crime across the continent. Rothwell, of Salford, became one of the National Crime Agency's most wanted after messages revealed he had organised a shooting in Warrington in a gangland feud - something which saw him featured on a recent Channel 4 documentary Operation Darkphone: Murder by Text. He was eventually arrested in Amsterdam and deported back to the UK in 2021, before being sentenced alongside nine others at Manchester Crown Court to a combined total of 207 years. Sentencing him Judge John Potter said: "Mr Rothwell, you have lived much of your life as a professional criminal involved in serious organised crime. "The offences you fall to be sentenced for graphically illustrate your willingness to follow this path and cause loss and misery to others as you do so. "You issued orders to others and you expected them to be obeyed. I heard evidence from your co-accused that they feared you. "You obtained wealth by having access to millions of pounds of cash." The judge said that Rothwell, who lived in Spain and Portugal, had dealt more than 200 kilos of cocaine and five kilos of ketamine, with the cocaine alone said to be worth £7 million. Greater Manchester Police Senior Investigating Officer Detective Sergeant Colin Shackleton said: 'The supply of Class A drugs in this investigation were on an industrial scale, with the criminal gang making eye-watering profits. "They believed they were above the law, and having access to their messages gave us real insight into their arrogant, egotistical, and apathetic nature. 'This has been a complex and long-standing investigation which has spanned years and international borders." 'It is not uncommon for suspects to flee the country in a bid to avoid facing the consequences of their crimes, but this case epitomises our dedication of bringing offenders to justice, regardless of where they try and hide. 'International collaboration was crucial to this case, and here we worked closely with the National Crime Agency and the Spanish authorities, and we continue to do so to locate fugitives who are currently at large. Who was sentenced? Jamie Rothwell's was sentenced for one count of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life; one count of conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life; conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class A, namely cocaine; two counts of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and a single count of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B, namely ketamine. Craig Makinson, 50, of Springpool, Winstanley, was sentenced to 38 years in prison for conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life/enable another to do so; conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life; conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin; conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug - cocaine; conspiracy to supply a class B controlled drug - amphetamine; and conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property. Callum Morris, 33, of Carr Bank Crescent, Atherton, was sentenced to 38 years in prison for conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life; conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life; conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug - cocaine; and conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property. James Close, 44, of Henry Street, Leigh, was sentenced to 36 years in prison for conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life; conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life; conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug - cocaine; and conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property. Zak Rourke, 35, of Deakins Mill Way Egerton, Bolton, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for conspiracy to possess firearms with intent, conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent, conspiracy to supply cocaine, ketamine and possess criminal property. Andrew Ackers, 39, of Benjamin Road, Wigan, was sentenced to ten years and two months in prison for conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug - cocaine; and conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property. Scott Davies, 36, of Courier Place, Wigan, was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug - heroin; and conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug – cocaine. Terence McDonagh, 34, of Thorncroft Avenue, Astley, was sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiring to possess firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life. John Stankus, 70, of Wigan Street, Platt Bridge, Wigan, was sentenced to six years in prison for conspiracy to supply cocaine and amphetamine. John Moore, 38, of Kendal Drive, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison for conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property and participating in the activities of an organised crime group. Wayne Johns, National Crime Agency senior investigating officer for Operation Venetic, said: 'The NCA used its global reach to trace and arrest Jamie Rothwell, not just once, but twice, bringing him back from Spain and then Holland when he went on the run a second time. 'Fugitives should take note of the NCA's tenacity in tracing wanted offenders, and working with partners such as GMP, we will never give up on finding and returning those who have fled justice. More than 2,200 criminals have been convicted under Operation Venetic, and Jamie Rothwell is one of the most dangerous. 'Throughout the operation, the NCA and UK police have stopped 200 threats to life, seized over £84m in criminal funds and more than eight tonnes of class A drugs, recovered 175 firearms and more than 3,500 rounds of ammunition.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Second group of small boats set to be used in Channel seized
Twenty inflatable boats believed to be destined for people smugglers in the English Channel have been seized from a lorry in Bulgaria — the second such discovery in less than three boats were found overnight on Sunday at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint in a truck bound for the than 25,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far in 2025, the first time that number has been reached in July, according to official Duggan, head of Europe for National Crime Agency International, said: "Stopping these dangerous boats from reaching the hands of people smugglers has prevented crossings and prevented lives being put at risk." Last month, NCA officers worked with Bulgarian partners to seize another 25 inflatable boats.A total of 69 boats are now believed to have been seized at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint in latest seizure was made as part of an NCA operation, in collaboration with Home Office International Operations, targeting supplies of small boat equipment moving into was passed on to the Bulgarian National Customs Agency, allowing officers to intercept and search the 8m (26.2ft) long boats, which are unsuitable for use in deep water, could have carried a total of up to 1,200 people across the Channel, according to the agency said the lorry driver had been charged with breaching Bulgarian customs regulations. Ms Duggan said more than 700 boats and engines had been seized since early Secretary Yvette Cooper added: "Tackling organised immigration crime of this scale requires sustained effort."It will take time, but operations like this show we are making clear progress with our Plan For Change, disrupting and dismantling networks and holding those who exploit vulnerable people to account."
