UK - Cricketer 'Thought Drugs Were Fruit Juice'

[Junkhead23]

Former England cricketer Chris Lewis has spoken of his shock after being told cans of fruit juice in his bag tested positive for cocaine.




Lewis and co-defendant accused of trying to smuggle over £140,000 worth of drugs


Speaking at his trial, he insisted he had no idea of the drugs until he was stopped by customs officers at Gatwick airport.
Lewis is alleged to have carried the drugs from St Lucia hidden in liquid form in five tins of fruit and vegetable juice, stashed in a black Puma cricket bag.
The 41-year-old defendant, who admitted smoking marijuana "from time to time", said he did not even know cocaine could be converted into a liquid form.
He told jurors: "Cocaine, as far as I'm concerned, I thought it came in powder or more solid form."
Lewis and co-accused Chad Kirnon are on trial at Croydon Crown Court charged with conspiring to import drugs worth more than £140,000.
Lewis said: "I thought I was carrying fruit juice. That is the only reason that I took those cans for Mr Kirnon and at that time there was no reason at all not to carry the fruit juice."
Speaking about the moment he was told about the drugs by customs officers, Lewis said: "That's when my mind went a little bit into overdrive.
"It went into overdrive because of the pickle I was in and the consequence of that - the furore."
In court, Lewis cast suspicion on Kirnon, who was found with £7,000 on his person when he arrived in St Lucia.
When asked at what point he had become concerned, Lewis said: "I started to think it when I first heard of the £7,000.
"I could say a lot of things, but for want of a better phrase, I'll say fishy."
Lewis said Kirnon, 27, had asked him what it was worth to take the blame and mentioned a figure of £100,000.
Lewis said: "The first time the £100,000 came up was when Mr Kirnon came to me and he basically thought that he was in trouble because of the £7,000.
"And he said he wasn't going to take the risk of going not guilty and taking X amount of years and then he asked me, what was it worth. Those were his exact words."
The former England cricketer, who is alleged to have orchestrated the scheme with Kirnon, was stopped as he arrived at Gatwick in December last year.
Both men deny the charges against them.


Source - http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...ontained_Drugs

[top]