Airport security uncover £1m drug stash inside electric wheelchair

2 Apr 2025 • 12:35 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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Nearly £1 million worth of cocaine has been found hidden in an electric wheelchair during an airport security check in Manchester.

Border Force officers scanned the wheelchair after the passenger flew in to Manchester Airport from Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday.

Eleven packages, weighing 12kg, were discovered concealed in the seat and backrest, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

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“The concealment shows the ingenuity crime groups employ to smuggle cocaine,” NCA senior investigating officer Charles Lee said.

“The NCA works with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat of Class A drugs and protect the UK public.”

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Portuguese national Casimiro De Lemos-Francisco, 56, has been charged with drug smuggling.

He will appear at Manchester Crown Court on May 6.