A 71-year-old man from a Montreal suburb has been sentenced to six years in prison in the United Kingdom for smuggling cocaine. Ronald Lord was caught with eight kilograms of the drug hidden in his mobility scooter at Gatwick Airport in London.

Lord arrived at the airport on February 7, claiming he had just returned from a week-long vacation in Barbados and was eager to explore London. However, U.K. Border Force agents discovered irregularities when they x-rayed his mobility scooter. Upon inspecting the back panel of the seat, they found eight bricks of cocaine, tightly wrapped in black tape.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), Lord feigned surprise at the discovery and insisted he had no knowledge of the drugs concealed in his scooter. However, his actions suggested otherwise. During a search, agents found a screw from the seat panel in his pocket. Further investigation revealed discrepancies in his story; airline records indicated he had only spent three days in Barbados before traveling to the U.K.

NCA agents also uncovered messages on Lord's phone that indicated he was being compensated to act as a drug mule, a common practice in cocaine smuggling operations. An NCA spokesperson stated, "There was clearly someone higher up the chain than him and he was carrying the drugs for someone else."

The cocaine seized had an estimated street value of nearly $1.2 million in Britain. In August, Lord pleaded guilty to smuggling Class A drugs into the U.K. During sentencing, the judge emphasized the seriousness of the crime.

Richard Wickham, a senior investigating officer with the NCA, remarked, "Organized crime groups need smugglers like Lord to bring Class A drugs into the U.K., 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."

In the U.K., Class A drugs, which include cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy, are subject to severe penalties for possession, sale, or smuggling. Cocaine is generally less expensive in Canada than in Britain, partly due to the geographical distance from its source in South America.