In the dock: New Cross man guilty of attempting to smuggle £32M of cocaine hidden inside yams from Costa Rica Katherine Johnston (27 February, 2021) 'Lopez and Al-Safee sought to profit from a trade that fuels violence and exploitation throughout the UK and all along the international supply chain' The shipment intercepted by Border Force officials and the National Crime Agency A man from New Cross was behind a £32 million cocaine smuggling operation where drugs were hidden inside a yam shipment from Costa Rica. Juan David Perea Lopez, 26 of New Cross, 31-year-old and Bashar Fares Al-Safee, from North Kensington, now face a combined 36 years behind bars after the National Crime Agency and Border Force investigation.