Wakefield man admits importing £2m of drugs found encased in expanding foam

A man had admitted importing ketamine into the UK with an estimated street value of £2.1 million.

Joel Freeman from Wakefield appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug.

The 45-year-old will now face sentence on October 15.

Freeman, of Woodlands Village, was remanded back into custody until then.

Go behind the headlines from the courtroom with the YEP's weekly courts newsletter. Sign up here for exclusive insights from court reporter, Nick Frame

West Yorkshire Police said Border Force officials found 125kg of the substance stashed in five cardboard boxes covered in expanding foam in a wooden crate.

It was intercepted as it was being sent from the Netherlands to the UK.

A police investigation was launched and the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) arrested Freeman.

A 46-year-old man was also arrested in Leeds as part of the operation and has since been released under investigation.