Crackdown on all motorsport transports due after two Paul Bird Kawasaki trucks discovered with major amounts of cocaine, amphetamine, and marijuana

According to The Telegraph, two Kawasaki World Superbike Team transport trucks (Kawasaki’s World Superbike effort is run by Paul Bird Motorsports in Morecambe, Lancashire) were searched as they were passing through the Dover Docks on a return trip from Italy last month, and found to have large quantities of illegal drugs on board. UK Border Agency officers discovered a total of 18 pounds of cocaine, 157 pounds of amphetamine tablets, and 220 pounds of marijuana in the two transport trucks, plus a loaded handgun and ammunition on a table inside one of the trucks (the UK has extremely strict gun laws).

The following members of the team were arrested on suspicion of firearms offences and importing controlled drugs: 40-year-old trucker Philip Roe; 50-year-old driver Gary Matthews; mechanic Mattia Fontana and mechanic Daniel Swyer.

This incident is bound to have major consequences for motorsport transport in Europe, as previously the team trucks from race teams (including Formula One) were often given free passage through border checkpoints in order to facilitate quicker travel time for series that have race events in different countries on consecutive weekends.