Man hid cocaine in false leg

Neil was arrested shortly after flying into Gatwick

A man who smuggled £65,000 worth of cocaine into Britain in a false leg is beginning a 10 year jail sentence.

Customs and Excise said 59-year-old Yenline Neil, from Jamaica, was caught when their officers stopped him with sniffer dogs at Gatwick Airport earlier this year.

The drugs were found when customs decided to x-ray Neil's false leg.

He (Neil) claimed that he had no idea his leg contained cocaine. But he didn't have a leg to stand on in court

Customs spokesman

Neil, of Spanish Town, Jamaica, was jailed on Friday after being found guilty of attempted drug smuggling following a three-day trial at Croydon Crown Court.

The court was told a sniffer dog took a interest in Neil soon after he arrived at the airport on a British Airways flight from the Caribbean.

Leg of evidence

He was being helped by ground staff through arrivals on an electric buggy, when the dog started barking and alerted officers.

The man's artificial leg was removed and under x-ray, customs offices found 824 grammes of cocaine - with an estimated street value of about £65,000 - hidden below the knee joint.

The false limb was confiscated as evidence by customs and Neil was arrested.

He was issued with a replacement leg before the trial.

Neil denied the charge, telling the court he had no knowledge of the fact that he was carrying the class A drug.

Although he had taken the artificial limb for repairs shortly before his trip, Neil claimed he had not noticed any extra weight after it was returned.

'Vile' drug

The jury took just 15 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict.

Sentencing Neil, His Honour Judge Stowe called cocaine a "vile" drug and said the evidence against the Jamaican had been overwhelming.

A customs spokesman said: "He (Neil) claimed that he had no idea his leg contained cocaine. But he didn't have a leg to stand on in court."

He said drug smugglers are always finding new places to stash their illegal supplies.

Customs officers had not been able to determine if Neil - who had made previous visits to the UK - was part of a wider drug smuggling operation.

The spokesman added: "This sentence should send a very strong message and should act as a deterrent to anyone who is tempted to smuggle drugs into the UK."