A man who attempted to smuggle almost £20,000-worth of drugs through airport security inside his underpants has been jailed.
David Whyte, 40, was collared by staff at Manchester Airport where he was set to fly out to Dubai with a female companion.
Liverpool Crown Court was told Whyte was spotted by security staff on the evening of Sunday 6 October 2019 as he appeared to be trying to avoid the body scanner, which is used to determine if staff need to carry out a physical search.
He was then subjected to a physical search where staff said it quickly became apparent Whyte 'had something concealed in his groin area'.
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Whyte, from Liverpool, initially denied having anything illegal on him and began to adjust his waistband prompting staff to ask what he had concealed.
He then removed a plastic-wrapped package containing a 'substantial amount of white powder and some rolled packages that were brown'.
A police officer working in the airport at the time assisted security officers and Whyte was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.
Further examination confirmed the contents of the packaging on Whyte's person were cocaine, ketamine and cannabis - totalling almost half a kilogram with a street value of £19,870.
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Whyte later pleaded guilty to evading the prohibition on exporting class A drugs.
and was yesterday sentenced to serve five years and three months in prison.
Chief Inspector Andy Sutcliffe, of GMP's Manchester Airport team, said: "We are pleased with this significant result.
"It sends a clear message to those who foolishly believe they can carry prohibited items and escape unnoticed through airport security that they will be punished.
"It is quite staggering how David Whyte was carrying almost half a kilo of class A and B drugs in his underpants and thought he could navigate his way onto his flight.
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"It is rare we see people go to quite these lengths, but when they do they shouldn't expect to go unnoticed and should certainly anticipate punishment for their crimes.
"We work closely with our partners in the airport on a daily basis.
"I think this case is an exemplary example of great proactive work from our security team with subsequent support from our officers, which ensured that this man was brought to court and ultimately held accountable for his criminality."