Ex-Test cricketer on drugs charge.
Discussion
Virgin Media said:
A former England cricketer has been remanded in custody charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine with an estimated street value of £200,000 through Gatwick Airport.
Fast bowler Chris Lewis, 40, who played 32 Tests and 53 one-day internationals in the 1990s, was arrested on Monday when UK Border Agency staff found nearly 9lb (4kg) of the drug.
The drug was found hidden in baggage which arrived on a flight from St Lucia in the Caribbean at 6am. It was in liquid form concealed in fruit tins and discovered as part of routine checks.
Lewis and basketball player Chad Kirnon, 26, who are both from London, were arrested after arriving on the flight together and questioned by Customs officials.
The pair were charged later and made a brief appearance at Crawley Magistrates' Court in West Sussex, where Lewis had a bail application refused.
Lewis, of Bruce Road, Brent, north London, and Kirnon, of Carnegie Street, Islington, north London, were remanded in custody to appear via video-link at Haywards Heath Magistrates' Court next Wednesday.
Lewis, who was born in Guyana, claimed 93 wickets during his England Test career and finished with a Test batting average of 23. He retired from county cricket in 2000 because of a persistent hip injury after spells with Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey. Earlier this year he joined Surrey to play in 20-over matches but with little success.
HM Revenue and Customs spokesman Bob Gaiger said: "This was an excellent detection by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers.
"HMRC, together with UKBA, play a vital role in the fight to prevent illegal drugs from entering the UK and in protecting our communities from the violence and corruption that always accompany this hideous trade."
One of my cricketing heroes -a sad day.Fast bowler Chris Lewis, 40, who played 32 Tests and 53 one-day internationals in the 1990s, was arrested on Monday when UK Border Agency staff found nearly 9lb (4kg) of the drug.
The drug was found hidden in baggage which arrived on a flight from St Lucia in the Caribbean at 6am. It was in liquid form concealed in fruit tins and discovered as part of routine checks.
Lewis and basketball player Chad Kirnon, 26, who are both from London, were arrested after arriving on the flight together and questioned by Customs officials.
The pair were charged later and made a brief appearance at Crawley Magistrates' Court in West Sussex, where Lewis had a bail application refused.
Lewis, of Bruce Road, Brent, north London, and Kirnon, of Carnegie Street, Islington, north London, were remanded in custody to appear via video-link at Haywards Heath Magistrates' Court next Wednesday.
Lewis, who was born in Guyana, claimed 93 wickets during his England Test career and finished with a Test batting average of 23. He retired from county cricket in 2000 because of a persistent hip injury after spells with Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey. Earlier this year he joined Surrey to play in 20-over matches but with little success.
HM Revenue and Customs spokesman Bob Gaiger said: "This was an excellent detection by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers.
"HMRC, together with UKBA, play a vital role in the fight to prevent illegal drugs from entering the UK and in protecting our communities from the violence and corruption that always accompany this hideous trade."
Virgin Media said:
"HMRC, together with UKBA, play a vital role in the fight to prevent illegal drugs from entering the UK and in protecting our communities from the violence and corruption that always accompany this hideous trade."
Which would disappear instantly if it were decriminalised.
Still, we're apparently happy pissing money away on an unwinnable 'war'
I remember watching that match and thinking that perhaps it would be a tad foolish.Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff