Man charged in NCA investigation over cocaine stash in electric wheelchair (with images)

A man has been charged with drug smuggling following a National Crime Agency investigation after nearly £1m of cocaine was found hidden in an electric wheelchair.

Casimiro De Lemos Francisco, 56, was stopped at Manchester Airport on Sunday after he arrived on a flight from Bridgetown in Barbados.

Border Force officers scanned the wheelchair which contained 11 packages, weighing 12k, concealed in the seat and backrest.

De Lemos Francisco, a Portuguese national, was remanded today at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court and will appear next at Manchester Crown Court on 6 May.

NCA senior investigating officer Charles Lee, said: “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.”