Elderly British Couple Accused Of Smuggling $1 Million Worth Of Cocaine
Well, go'head, granny.
Instagram We understand that retirement benefits aren't what they used to be, but this is a little much! A recent news report suggests that these two elderly folks smuggled cocaine that was worth in excess of $1 million. They, of course, are denying the charges. Who are Roger and Susan Clarke?
Let's look at what we know about this, uh, rather interesting group of bandits.
1. They claim that a Jamaican businessman tricked them into carrying the cocaine.
According to Newsweek, when Roger and Susan Clarke were arrested for attempted smuggling, they tried to blame a Jamaican businessman for giving them what he said were empty suitcases, but were actually stuffed with cocaine. When asked for details about the Jamaican businessman, neither Mr. or Mrs. Clarke could provide them.
2. Roger & Susan Clarke were on a cruise when it all went down.
"Roger, 72, had apparently loaded four new suitcases onto the Marco Polo cruise liner while it was docked in St Lucia, who say they spoke to a fellow passenger on the boat. The pair were arrested in a targeted raid by Portuguese police on December 4, who boarded the cruise liner as it docked in Lisbon," reported The Telegraph.
3. They've been held in separate prisons since their arrest.
According to The Telegraph, when Roger & Susan were first arrested, they were put in separate prisons. And, according to the outlet, they haven't seen each other since their arrest, because they've been held separately since.
4. Police in Portugal were looking for Roger & Susan Clarke.
"We knew who we were looking for and boarded the cruise ship with a search warrant,” said Victor Ananais, who led the operation for the Policia Judiciaria, to Yahoo.
5. They face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
"Mrs. Clarke told cops she only met Lee and his wife Claudette once and that she didn't know her husband's cases had cocaine in them, court documents show. The couple, who have been in custody since face up to 12 years in jail if convicted of trafficking. They are expected to deny the charges in Lisbon's central court," reported The Sun.
6. This isn't the first time that Roger & Susan Clarke have been accused of drug smuggling.
"Nine kilos worth of cocaine — said to be worth ‘nearly one million pounds’, ‘between one to two million pounds’ and even ‘up to 63 million Euros’ (depending on which news source you follow) — was discovered in the false-bottoms of their luggage. If found guilty, the Clarkes — already known to police for trafficking offenses — face up to 12 years in jail," reports Portugal Resident, who adds that Roger & Susan Clarke were previously convicted of trafficking after they brought drugs onto a Norwegian Cruise ship.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.