South Devon man jailed after importing £7m of Cannabis
49-year-old Leon Day admitted importing drugs hidden in shipments of incontinence pants, wood, latex gloves, and car seats
A Torquay man has been jailed for five years after importing around £7 million worth of cannabis into the UK.
Leon Day, aged 49, from Torquay, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court after pleading guilty to importing drugs concealed in shipments of incontinence pants, wood, latex gloves, and car seats.
Day orchestrated the importation of three shipments from Singapore.
The first was a package intercepted by UK Border Force UKBF in July 2025 and was found to contain 40kg of cannabis hidden among boxes of adult incontinence pants.
An investigation found the shipment was destined for Day's registered business in Newton Abbot.
Police also knew that further shipments were due to arrive at UK ports.
The second was intercepted in October 2025, with 270kg of cannabis hidden in pallets of wood.
Officers arrested and charged Day with importing the drugs and while on remand in prison, the third shipment was intercepted by UKBF in November 2025, containing 400kg of cannabis concealed within latex gloves and car seats.
In total, over 700kg of cannabis, with a street value of over £7million was seized and has since been destroyed.
Day told officers ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’ when he was arrested.
But he was charged and admitted two counts of being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug, for the first two seized shipments.
Day was not formally charged in relation to the third container but admitted the offence and it was taken into consideration as part of his sentencing.
Detective Chief Inspector Becky Davies said: “We welcome the sentencing of Leon Day for these calculated and selfish crimes. Day would have carried out a significant amount of planning to facilitate the importation and delivery of these drugs.
“The impact of drugs supply and use within communities has a significant impact and causes so much hidden harm and the facilitation of that by people like Day will not be tolerated.
“If you have information about suspicious illegal drug activity, please report it to help us build up the wider picture of illegal drugs activity taking place in our communities.”