Reading Time: 2 minutes
As you’re probably aware Kim Kardashian is a bonafide billionaire thanks to her media presence and her popular clothing line, Skims.
And she’s unlikely to jeopardize all of that — to say nothing of her freedom — with illegal activities like, say, international drug smuggling.
So the news that millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine was found in a Skims shipment came as quite a surprise to Kim fans.
Yes, earlier this week, Skims made headlines for all the wrong reasons when the brand became tied to a major cocaine-smuggling operation in England after one of its clothing shipments became connected to a convicted trafficker.
But before anyone starts imagining a Breaking Bad spinoff starring Kardashians in compression wear, the company says it had absolutely nothing to do with it.
“SKIMS is aware of the recent news involving a shipment with our products,” the company told TMZ in a statement.
“We want to be absolutely clear: SKIMS had no knowledge whatsoever about this criminal activity. We had no connection to the smuggling operation, the driver, or the truck.”
According to authorities, a Polish truck driver named Jakub Jan Konkel transported a trailer carrying legitimate Skims merchandise from the Netherlands to England last September.
When the truck arrived at the Port of Harwich, Border Force officers searched it and reportedly uncovered 90 hidden packages of cocaine worth an estimated $9.4 million concealed near the rear trailer doors.
Authorities emphasized from the beginning that the SKIMS products themselves were legitimate and that the brand was not involved in the trafficking scheme.
The UK’s National Crime Agency said the shipment was real, but the truck had allegedly been modified with a hidden compartment used to stash the drugs.
“The load was entirely legitimate and neither the exporter nor importer were connected to the smuggled load,” the agency said, adding that the truck had been specially adapted to conceal the narcotics.
Konkel initially denied knowing anything about the drugs, but later admitted he agreed to smuggle the cocaine for roughly $5,300, ultimately pleading guilty in court.
On Monday, he was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison in Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex, England.
“Organised crime groups use corrupt drivers like Konkel to move Class A drugs often hidden on entirely legitimate loads such as this,” National Crime Agency operations manager Paul Orchard said in a statement.
In other words: the shipment may have included Kardashian-branded shapewear, but officials say this scandal has nothing to do with Kim or Skims — aside from some very unfortunate headlines.
So Kim is in the clear legally. Unless society decides to outlaw having children with Kanye West, which might not be such a bad idea.
