A man was apprehended for smuggling nearly £900,000 worth of cocaine concealed in a mobility scooter through a UK airport. The individual, identified as Casimiro De Lemos-Francisco, aged 56, was intercepted upon his arrival at Manchester Airport from Barbados. The court disclosed that De Lemos-Francisco did not require mobility assistance and was using the scooter as a means to transport class A drugs into the country.
Following his arrest, De Lemos-Francisco has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. According to his defense attorney, Rachel Shenton, there was a convoluted backstory that led De Lemos-Francisco to get involved in the illicit activity. Shenton mentioned that De Lemos-Francisco, hailing from Guimaraes in Portugal, had developed a strong attachment to a woman he met on Facebook, who, as per Shenton, may not be real. The man believed he was assisting her in claiming an inheritance.
Despite his misguided intentions, Shenton clarified that De Lemos-Francisco was aware of his actions and accepted responsibility for his offense. The court was informed that the man, recently released from prison in Portugal, was facing significant financial struggles and anticipated some monetary gain from the smuggling operation.
Prosecutor Mark Monaghan revealed that De Lemos-Francisco was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport, where a sample from the scooter’s seat tested positive for cocaine. Subsequently, packages containing a total of 12.8 kilograms of cocaine were discovered hidden in the scooter. The drugs, with a purity of 84%, could fetch up to £880,000 on the streets.
The National Crime Agency uncovered a tracking device within the scooter, indicating prior smuggling attempts. Despite De Lemos-Francisco’s denial of knowledge about the drugs, the court found him guilty of involvement in drug smuggling. Judge Nicholas Dean KC emphasized the severity of the offense and mentioned that De Lemos-Francisco might face deportation to Portugal in the future.
In response to the incident, Charles Lee of the National Crime Agency condemned the use of such deceptive tactics by organized crime groups to smuggle drugs. He stressed the agency’s commitment to collaborating with domestic and international partners to combat drug trafficking and protect the public from such criminal activities.