Man shows a stomach for trouble

London : A drug smuggler swallowed 67 packages of cocaine in an attempt to get through British customs.

Student Fidelis Ozouli, 30, risked his life trying to hide the 1 kg haul of the Class A substance in his stomach. He later claimed he did not know the packets contained drugs.

Officers at Manchester Airport became suspicious because Ozouli looked unnaturally bloated. X-rays images of his stomach showed up the drug concealed inside scores of condoms. It is one of the largest amounts ever found internally by UK customs officers.

The drug, hidden inside scores of condoms, was 78 per cent pure and had a street value of £250,000.

Baffling claim

Ozouli left officials and a court baffled by claiming: "I didn't know they were drugs."

At Manchester Crown Court, Ozouli, who is from Nigeria but lives and studies in London, pleaded guilty to importing Class-A drugs and was jailed for ten years. He was stopped by UK Border Agency officers on his arrival at Manchester from Switzerland on September 5.