A man who transported nearly £1million worth of cocaine in an electric wheelchair has been apprehended by airport security.
The discovery was made at Manchester Airport on Sunday in relation to a passenger who flew in from Bridgetown, Barbados.
Border Force officers scanned the wheelchair, which contained 11 packages, weighing 12kg, concealed in the seat and backrest, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
NCA senior investigating officer Charles Lee, added: ‘The concealment shows the ingenuity crime groups employ to smuggle cocaine.
‘The NCA works with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat of Class A drugs and protect the UK public.’
Portuguese national Casimiro De Lemos-Francisco, 56, has been charged with drug smuggling and will appear at Manchester Crown Court on May 6.
The man transported nearly £1million worth of cocaine in an electric wheelchair before being apprehended by airport security
The discovery was made at Manchester Airport on Sunday in relation to a passenger who flew in from Bridgetown, Barbados
NCA senior investigating officer Charles Lee, said: ‘The concealment shows the ingenuity crime groups employ to smuggle cocaine’
Border Force officers scanned the wheelchair, which contained 11 packages, weighing 12kg, concealed in the seat and backrest, said the National Crime Agency (NCA)
In February this year, a gang of American drug runners were also charged for smuggling cocaine at Manchester Airport – this time while hiding in the toilet.
The couriers – five women and two men – had been recruited by drug barons in the US and offered between £3,000 and £4,000 to fly to the UK and pick up the 12 bags.
Inside was more than 300kg of the Class A drug. But the plan fell apart after a member of staff at an X-ray machine became suspicious of the rectangular-shaped blocks in the cases, and border officials swooped in.
The recruited members – all US nationals – were split into ‘teams’ and travelled to Manchester on different flights, Manchester Crown Court was told.
Brian Marealle, 32, and Laquesa Greer, 50, flew in from JFK Airport in New York. Charles Mass, 29, and his girlfriend Brianna Hunt, 22, came to the UK from Orlando.
And Yulibeth Gonzalez, 26, Leandra Royer, 26, and Chloe Sandoval, 24, flew from Los Angeles via Dusseldorf.
Three members of the group were arrested on the spot, Holiday apartments Dalyan four others were detained in rooms at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, opposite the airport – and Mass and Hunt – who were in a relationship – were found naked in bed when officers burst in.
One case was not found. The rest contained cocaine with a wholesale value of around £700,000.