A retired British couple have been jailed for eight years for trying to smuggle nine kilos of cocaine into Europe on a luxury cruise from the Caribbean.
Roger Clarke, 72, and Sue Clarke, 71, a married couple from Bromley, were arrested in December after police in Portugal found cocaine in their suitcases while their cruise ship was docked in Lisbon.
Police caught the couple trying to smuggle 9kg of cocaine with a street value of £1 million.
Three judges convicted Clarke, a retired chef, and his former secretary wife of drug trafficking after a one-day trial in Lisbon.
Holding hands and crying, the pensioners, who claim they were tricked into smuggling the drugs, said they want people to know the "real story" but did not make any further declarations to reporters.
The judges told the court they had taken into consideration not only the "devastating effects (of cocaine) on people's lives" but also Portugal being often used as a major entry point for cocaine and other drugs to Europe.
"The couple only accepted to do it because of high profits" from drug trafficking, one judge said.
The couple, who now live in Guardamar, Spain, had previously been convicted of a similar crime in Norway.
The suitcases were brought to Lisbon from the Caribbean island of St Lucia and were found inside the couple's cruise cabin.
The pair were arrested after authorities received a tip-off from police in the UK.
Lisbon's main criminal court heard the couple was "fully aware" the cocaine was inside the suitcases.
The couple's lawyer Susana Paisana told reporters she would consider appealing the sentence, but for now the couple will remain in jail in Lisbon.
The court did not find any reason why they should be expelled from Portugal to their home country.
