A passenger was caught trying to fly to Dubai with Kinder Surprise eggs full of drugs hidden up his bum.
Michael Whitty, from Huyton, Merseyside, was caught with thousands of pounds of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine after arousing the suspicions of sniffer dogs at Manchester Airport. He later claimed that he had intended to consume the entire stash during a surprise holiday abroad.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the 25-year-old was stopped by UK Border Force officers at around 9am on May 12 last year as he queued to board a plane due to take off for the United Arab Emirates from Terminal One 50 minutes later. It came after a drugs dog indicated that he had illicit substances upon his person.
Matthew Conway, prosecuting, described how Whitty was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital following his arrest, but refused to comply with body scans. Once transferred into custody, no contraband was discovered during a strip search.
But he later went to the toilet in his cell, after which two Kinder eggs wrapped in cling film were recovered. When opened, these capsules were found to contain 40 ecstasy tablets and 31.22g of ketamine.
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Whitty then produced a small package containing 12.6g of cocaine with a purity of around 77% upon using the facilities again on May 14. He made no comment when subsequently interviewed by detectives.
The cocaine was estimated to have a street value of between £504 and £1,260, with the ecstasy valued in the region of £200 to £400. The class B drugs were meanwhile said to have been worth between £624 and £1,248.
Whitty subsequently claimed that they had been for "personal use" during his two to three week trip abroad as he was a "heavy user" who was "reliant" upon them. He also stated that friends had bought his one-way ticket, "surprising" him with it the day before his scheduled travel.
But a judge rejected his account and found that the drugs were intended for onward supply in Dubai, with the defendant having been acting "on somebody else's instruction". Whitty has three previous convictions for three offences - those being burglary in 2012, possession of ammunition in 2017 and possession of cannabis in 2021, reported the Liverpool Echo.
Stuart Mills, defending, told the court on Monday: "He has had a very bad addiction but, given his incarceration, that has allowed him to begin to conquer that addiction. He is obviously motivated to do so at this point.
"He knows he has to do something about his drug addiction, otherwise he is going to be in and out of custody for a long time. He has also undertaken education while in custody, again demonstrating an intention, willingness and motivation to try and better himself. He intends, when he is released, to seek work within the construction industry. This speaks of somebody who is looking to his future."
Whitty admitted being knowingly concerned in evading the prohibition on the exportation of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine. He was jailed for 35 months. Sentencing, Judge Charlotte Crangle said: "I accept that you were doing this on somebody else's instruction. The account that these drugs were for your own personal use only was rejected.
"Those prepared to engage in this type of activity must expect significant custodial sentences. You are still young and relatively lightly convicted. You are exactly the kind of person, given your drug habit, who would be susceptible to agreeing to do this on somebody else's behalf. I would be failing in my public duty if I were not to impose an immediate custodial sentence upon you today."
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