Britons arrested 'for smuggling drugs in wigs'

Two young British women were arrested in Jamaica when they allegedly tried to smuggle £170,000 worth of cocaine hidden in wigs on to a London-bound plane, officials said today.

The women, aged 17 and 20 and from the Derby area, were detained after the drugs, weighing around 2.3kg, were allegedly discovered stitched into the hair pieces, a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spokeswoman said.

The pair, both unemployed, had been on holiday in Jamaica for two weeks before their arrests, she added.

The women allegedly told police officers that they were to be paid £4,000 for smuggling drugs into the UK, said the HMRC spokeswoman.

They were arrested as part of Operation Airbridge, a joint UK-Jamaican collaboration to catch drugs couriers before they board planes from Jamaica.

Tony Walker, of the UK Border Agency and head of Operation Airbridge, said: "The dedication of the UK and Jamaican drugs detection officers has prevented deadly class A drugs from entering the UK.

"The Airbridge Operation is delivering real results in this and other cases by helping to protect both countries from the violence and corruption that always accompanies the trade in illegal drugs."