British pensioners arrested over suitcase cocaine

Two British cruise passengers in their 70s have been arrested after cocaine was found in their cruise ship cabin.

The couple, aged 70 and 72, were held on suspicion of drug trafficking when the cruise ship docked in Lisbon. Officers found 9-10kg of cocaine “ingeniously concealed” in false compartments in four suitcases following a tip-off from the UK National Crime Agency, 

The pair were arrested on board the Cruise & Maritime Voyages ship Marco Polo, which departed London’s Tilbury Docks on November 5 for a cruise around the West Indies and Azores.

In a statement, Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria said: “In the cabin that was occupied by the suspects, four suitcases [were found] in whose structures was concealed a high amount of product, more specifically cocaine.”

The pair were arrested on December 4 and will be held separately while a joint Portuguese and British investigation is carried out.

A spokesman for Cruise & Maritime Voyages said that the line is cooperating fully with Portuguese police officials and that it does not “tolerate any criminal activity or anti-social behaviour” on board its ships.