A drug smuggler who was caught on the toilet with his trousers down when cops burst into his hotel room has been jailed for 23 years after flying £2.5 million of high grade cocaine into Rochester Airport.

John Buwalda, 53, used a small Piper Alpha aircraft to fly 22kgs of the drug in from Holland in June last year, before handing the haul over to fellow smuggler Jan Polak, 61.

Polak, 61, was also jailed today for 17 years for his part in the crime at the Old Bailey in London, after Buwalda, landed at the airport on Maidstone Road and hid the substance in a ‘wing weights’ box and took it to the Holiday Inn, where he met Polak.

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The cocaine, which had a purity between 80% and 87% was stuffed into Sports Direct bags.

But officers from the National Crime Agency were watching Polak, who had been seen lurking around in a nearby carpark for more than two hours before Buwalda landed.

Polak was arrested outside on his way to his Renault Kangoo with 22 separate packets of the drug, and told police Buwalda had given them to him.

The car had been specially adapted with an electronically operated hiding place behind the front seats of the van.

Officers then used a master key to burst into Buwalda’s hotel room, where he was found sitting on the toilet with his trousers around his knees.

A jury found Polak, of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, and Buwalda of Hilversum in Holand, both guilty of one count of conspiracy to fraudulently evade the prohibition of class-A drugs in December.

Jim McMorrow, an officer with the NCA, had told jurors: “We went up to room 223 and I knocked on the door saying we were the police. There was no answer, so I used the master key, which the manager had given me, to enter the room.

“It was empty, but I could hear noises coming from the bathroom. We opened the door, and found Mr Buwalda sitting on the toilet, wearing a white top with his trousers around his knees.

Video: CCTV of plane landing at Rochester Airport carrying 22 kilos of cocaine

“I told him we had arrested a man downstairs who gave us this room number as the room of the man who had given him the drugs.”

Buwalda’s limited English meant he could not answer any more questions or understand what was going on, the officer said.

Ailsa Williamson, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey: “Analysis of the contents revealed 22 separate packages found to contain 22kgs of cocaine with a purity between 80% and 87%.

“The wholesale value of the cocaine is £726,000, but if it were to be cut with other substances and sold on the streets it would be worth around £2.5 million.”

Polak had denied any knowledge of the drugs and claimed he was working as a courier to pocket an extra £300 - despite telling police he earned nearly £50,000 a year as a marketing director for a skincare company.

He stated he had met a white man called Timmy, who had brought £400 worth of cosmetics for him and asked if he would do a favour for money.

Meanwhile, Buwalda said he worked for a company that trained Chinese dentists in European practises, and he was hoping to network with people at Greenwich University in south east London.

Ms Williamson said: “Buwalda stated the trolley he pulled from the airport, through the terminal and all the way to the hotel contained wing weights.”

Wing weights are large hollow boxes that are hung from the wings of parked planes to prevent the wind from getting under the wings.

The prosecutor continued: “He said the reason for bringing them into the hotel, rather than leaving them with the aircraft, was because he liked to show-off and look the part of the pilot. Buwalda denied he used the wing weights to conceal the drugs.”

Plastic gloves were found in Buwalda’s hotel room, along with a phone, which he claimed he found in the corridor.

Andy Tickner from the Organised Crime Partnership, said: “This was a significant seizure of class A drugs which if sold on, would have generated cash to fund further criminality.

“The complex concealment in Polak’s van points to him being a professional courier, trusted by organised criminals to transport illicit goods. Officers from the OCP will continue to intercept drugs and prevent organised criminals from accessing the proceeds of their crimes.”