A Dutch man has been found guilty over a £1.6bn drugs smuggling operation where he posed as a handyman on a fake ambulance.

Father-of-four Leonardus Bijlsma, 55, will be sentenced at a later date.

Co-defendant Dennis Vogelaar, 28, was found not guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court.

Olof Schoon, 38, and 51-year-old Richard Engelsbel had already pleaded guilty.

Image copyrightNAtional Crime Agency

Prosecutors told the court Bijlsma was the “right-hand man” in the operation to bring in high quantities of drugs into the UK.

All four men were arrested after a raid by officers from the National Crime Agency in Smethwick in June.

When officers examined the ambulance they found concealed compartments behind metal rivet panels containing colour-coded parcels.

Inside was 193kg of cocaine worth £30m, 74kg heroin worth £8m in individual deals, and ecstasy tablets and crystal worth £60,000.

Bijlsma had previously told the court he was paid 250 euros (£176) per journey by Schoon to be his “co-driver” and handyman on 16 trips across the Channel.

As reported in http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk