A 71-year-old pensioner who tried to smuggle cocaine worth more than £600,000 into the UK using his mobility scooter has been jailed for six years.
Ronald Lord from Montreal, Canada, was caught at Gatwick Airport with eight kilograms of the drug hidden in his scooter's back seat panel, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
The discovery was made on February 7, 2025, after Border Force staff X-rayed Lord's mobility scooter, according to the agency. Experts valued the cocaine at around £640,000 at street-level prices.
Lord claimed he had been on a seven-day holiday to Barbados and was visiting the UK for sightseeing purposes, the NCA said. He told investigators he had no knowledge of how the drugs got into his scooter and denied any knowledge.
However, the screw from the scooter seat panel was found in the pensioner’s pocket following a search.
Lord pleaded guilty to class A drug smuggling charges at Croydon Crown Court on August 5. He was sentenced on September 5 to six years in prison at the same court, the NCA said.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer Richard Wickham said: “Organised crime groups need smugglers like Lord to bring class A drugs into the UK, where they are sold for huge profit by gangs who deal in violence and exploitation.
“He obviously thought that because he was a pensioner he would be less of a target for law enforcement. He was wrong, and I hope this case sends out a message to anyone who would consider doing the same.
“Working with partners like Border Force, the NCA is determined to do all we can to stop class A drugs finding their way into the hands of criminal gangs, and target those involved in helping them.”
Sources used: "National Crime Agency" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
