Cocaine smuggler gets eight years

Francis was arrested at Southampton Airport

A Dudley man has been jailed for eight years for attempting to smuggle cocaine worth £180,000 into the UK from the Caribbean.

Dwayne Francis, of Wellington Road, was stopped as he passed through Southampton Airport in November.

The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to attempting to bring nearly two kilograms of the drug into the country.

Southampton Crown Court heard how cocaine was found in seven bottles of toiletries hidden inside Francis' luggage.

Customs officers stopped him as he arrived at the airport on a flight from the island of St Martin.

The judge told Francis he wanted to send out a message that Southampton Airport was not a "soft touch" for smugglers.