Kim Kardashian's SKIMS Team Fires Back After Brand Gets Dragged Into Cocaine Smuggling Scandal
Kim Kardashian's team denied any involvement in the cocaine smuggling operation.
May 20 2026, Published 4:33 p.m. ET
Kim Kardashian's team has hit back after a shipment of her SKIMS products was shockingly linked to an overseas drug-smuggling bust, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A delivery driver was busted after British authorities allegedly uncovered more than $8.4 million worth of cocaine hidden inside a truck loaded with SKIMS merchandise, according to the National Crime Agency, and now Kardashian, 45, is denying her brand had any involvement in the drug bust.
SKIMS Has 'No Knowledge Whatsoever' of the Criminal Activity
A massive stash of cocaine had been smuggled in a hidden compartment of a truck carrying SKIMS products.
"SKIMS is aware of the recent news involving a shipment with our products," a company spokesperson told TMZ.
They added, "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."
Cocaine Was Hidden in a Truck Carrying 28 Pallets of SKIMS Products
Jakub Jan Konkel has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for smuggling cocaine into the UK.
Polish National Jakob Jan Konkel's cross-border crime came to a screeching halt when Border Force officers intercepted him at the Port of Harwich in Essex, England, after he rolled off a ferry arriving from Hook of Holland in the Netherlands.
Authorities X-rayed the suspect’s massive cargo truck, which was hauling 28 pallets of SKIMS merchandise. While officials stressed neither the exporter nor the importer had any ties to the drug haul, investigators allegedly discovered the rig had been specially modified with a secret compartment built into the rear trailer doors to conceal the smuggled stash of cocaine.
Investigators said the truck had been specially modified with a hidden compartment built into the rear trailer doors, where authorities allegedly uncovered 90 one-kilogram packages of the drug.
Truck Driver Pleaded Guilty for His Role in the Smuggling Operation
SKIMS is now valued at $5billion for the shapewear, loungewear and sportswear brand.
Konkel’s tachograph reportedly exposed a suspicious 16-minute stop he failed to mention during his NCA interview, a gap investigators believe was when the massive amount of drugs was secretly loaded into the truck with the knowledge of only Konkel and the smuggling ring.
The trucker, from Kartuzy in northern Poland, initially played dumb about the dangerous drugs allegedly hidden inside the vehicle. But he later admitted his role in the scheme, pleading guilty to drug smuggling and confessing he agreed to transport the narcotics in exchange for a payday of 4,500 Euros.
Konkel was hit with a whopping 13-and-a-half-year prison sentence for his role in the international smuggling plot during a May 18 hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court.
SKIMS Is Now a $5Billion Brand
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Kim Kardashian sported a SKIMS set, proving she's her best spokemodel for her brand.
"Organized crime groups use corrupt drivers like Konkel to move Class A drugs, often hidden on entirely legitimate loads such as this," NCA operations manager Paul Orchard shared about the smuggling operation.
“The detection and investigation have removed a significant amount of cocaine whose profits are lost to the crime group behind the smuggling attempt, and with Konkel, they've lost an important enabler," he continued.
Orchard added, "The NCA works with partners at home and abroad to protect the public from the threat of Class A drugs, which are at the epicenter of huge amounts of crime and suffering in UK communities."
Kardashian launched SKIMS as a shapewear brand in September 2019, and the wildly popular label quickly exploded into a fashion empire featuring sleepwear, loungewear, and sportswear.
The booming success of SKIMS catapulted the reality star into the billionaire stratosphere, with the shapewear empire valued at a whopping $5billion by late 2025.
