Smuggler hid cocaine in his mobility scooter

'FOOLISH' PASSENGER'S SCHEME DISCOVERED AT AIRPORT

- By ANDREW BARDSLEY

A WOULD-BE drug smuggler was caught at Manchester Airport with almost £900,000 worth of cocaine hidden in a mobility scooter.

Casimiro De Lemos-Francisco, 56, was stopped after arriving at Manchester on a flight from Barbados.

Manchester Crown Court heard De Lemos-Francisco had no issues with his mobility, and the scooter was being used as an attempt to smuggle class A drugs. He has now been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.

Prosecuting, Mark Monaghan said that De Lemos-Francisco, who is Portuguese, was stopped at Manchester Airport by Border Force officers on March 30.

Nothing suspicious was discovered in his luggage, but officers took a sample from the seat of the scooter which tested positive for cocaine.