U.K. police find $9.4M worth of cocaine stashed in shipment of Kim Kardashian brand underwear

Nbcwashington · May 19, 2026 · 184 words · By The Associated Press

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What to know about U.K. police find $9.4M worth of cocaine stashed in shipment of Kim Kardashian brand underwear

A British court sentenced a truck driver to prison for smuggling $9.4 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of underwear and clothing from Skims, Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand, authorities said Monday.

Claims checked 7

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The National Crime Agency said Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was driving a truck carrying 28 pallets of Skims clothing from the Netherlands when he was stopped by border officials at a port in Essex in September.

Common ground

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Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: U.K. police find $9.4M worth of cocaine stashed in shipment of Kim Kardashian brand underwear?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Konkel said he had agreed to transport the drugs for a payment of $5,243?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/uk-police-cocaine-skim…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

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Claim 1: “Konkel said he had agreed to transport the drugs for a payment of $5,243”

CORROBORATED

The South China Morning Post and other web results confirm Konkel agreed to transport the drugs for €4,500, which is converted to approximately $5,243.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maria Znamierowska-Prüfferowa (1898–1990) was a Polish ethnographer, professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, founder and long-term director of the Toruń Ethnographic Museum, posthumo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Znamierowska-Prüfferowa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2020 Polish Finswimming Championships in long-distance - a finswimming competition held on September 6, 2020 in Wdzydze. Athletes competed in two events in each age category and in one relay also …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_long-distance_Finswimmi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday for drug smuggling, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.In interview, Konkel admitted that he …
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/national-crime-agency-kim…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “He was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for drug smuggling at Chelmsford Crown Court.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (South China Morning Post, The Standard, and others) confirm that Jakub Jan Konkel was sentenced to 13.5 years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jakub Konkel collected the drugs in Belgium and drove them to the UK, via the Netherlands. A lorry driver who smuggled £7.2m of cocaine in a shipment of Kim Kardashian Skims clothing has been jailed f…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgp57gdvgyo

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web search NEUTRAL — Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday for drug smuggling, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/national-crime-agency-kim…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, has been sentenced to 13-and-a-half years.“The detection and investigation have removed a significant amount of cocaine whose profits are lost to the crime group behind the smugg…
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/driver-jai…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 3: “The National Crime Agency said Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was driving a truck carrying 28 pallets of Skims clothing from the Netherlands when he was stopped by border officials at a port in Essex in September.”

CORROBORATED

The identity of the driver (Jakub Jan Konkel, 40), the cargo (28 pallets of Skims clothing), the origin (Netherlands), and the location/time of the stop (Essex port in September) are consistently reported across multiple sources.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years for concealing 90kg of the drug, worth £7m, alongside a legitimate load of Skims underwear.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/national-crime-agency-kim…

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web search NEUTRAL — He was stopped by Border Force at Harwich port in Essex on September 5 last year having travelled on a ferry from the Netherlands.
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/kim-kardashian-sk…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 4: “the truck had been specially adapted so that he could hide the drugs, wrapped in 2.2-pound packages, in a compartment of the truck’s back doors.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results specifically mention a 'concealed compartment built into the lining of the trailer' or 'compartment of the truck's back doors' used to hide the drugs. The detail about 2.2-pound packages is consistent with the total weight of 90kg divided into smaller units.

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web search NEUTRAL — Used trucks and pickups for sale. Find compact, mid-size, full-size, 4x4, and heavy duty trucks for sale.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/truck

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “A British court sentenced a truck driver to prison for smuggling $9.4 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of underwear and clothing from Skims, Kim Kardashian's shapewear brand”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (The Standard, South China Morning Post, and other web results) confirm a truck driver was jailed for smuggling cocaine hidden in a shipment of Skims clothing. While the dollar value varies slightly across sources (£7m to £7.2m), the core fact of the sentencing and the brand involved is consistent.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Emma Findlay Grede (born 23 September 1982) is a British businesswoman, entrepreneur and fashion designer. She is recognised for her business ventures involving members of the Kardashian family and i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Grede

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention in 2007 following the unauthorized release of a sex ta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Kardashian

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Skimmed milk (British English), or skim milk (American English), is made when all the milkfat is removed from whole milk. It tends to contain around 0.1% to 0.3% fat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skimmed_milk

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The agency said the shipment of clothing was legitimate and neither the exporter nor importer were connected to the smuggled load.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including the NY Post, IBTimes UK, and the National Crime Agency (NCA), explicitly state that the Skims shipment was legitimate and that the exporter and importer were not connected to the smuggling operation.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Skims shipment was legitimate, and neither the exporter nor the importer of the clothing was connected with the smuggling operation, officials added.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/18/world-news/8-4m-of-cocaine-dis…

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web search NEUTRAL — The NCA confirmed that neither SKIMS nor the clothing's exporter or importer had any connection to the drugs. Kardashian's brand was an unwitting cover for a smuggling operation that exploited a legit…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/lorry-driver-jailed-cocaine-skims-…

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web search NEUTRAL — According to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the cargo itself was legitimate: neither the exporter nor the importer was involved in the drug trafficking. However, investigators discovered a conc…
https://athens-times.com/e8m-cocaine-hidden-in-kim-kardashia…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 7: “The agency said Konkel had stopped on the way to collect 198 pounds of cocaine”

CORROBORATED

The South China Morning Post and other web results confirm Konkel collected 90kg of cocaine, which is equivalent to approximately 198 pounds.

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · View the Oklahoma City Thunder's Official NBA Schedule, Roster & Standings. Watch Oklahoma City Thunder's Games with NBA League Pass.
https://www.nba.com/team/1610612760/thunder

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web search NEUTRAL — Visit ESPN for Oklahoma City Thunder live scores, video highlights, and latest news. Find standings and the full 2025-26 season schedule.
https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thund…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_Thunder

+ 1 more evidence source

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.