A FATHER and son have been jailed for smuggling two kilos of cocaine worth £250,000.

Trucker Michael Melia, from Ashford, was stopped at the UK Channel Tunnel control at Calais with two packets of the class A drug strapped to his body.

His son, Simon, who had been on the continent at the same time as his father but denied any part in the smuggling, was arrested when he returned to their home at Park Wood Close, Kingsnorth, while it was being searched.

Bags containing cocaine and amphetamine were found by police at the house.

At Canterbury Crown Court, both men also denied charges of possessing drugs with intent to supply, although Simon Melia, 32, admitted simple possession. Their pleas were not accepted by the Crown.

Peter Ratliff, prosecuting, said 59-year-old Michael Melia’s jeep was at the inbound border controls at 3.45am, March 10 last year.

When told the Jeep would be searched and he would be subjected to a 'rub down’ search, he said “I’ll save you the bother” and lifted up his jumper to show two packets strapped to his body and claimed it was amphetamine.

Customs later went to his house from where they recovered bags of amphetamine and cocaine worth £260 and £320.

Simon Melia, a painter and decorator, told officers he was addicted to amphetamine, using it three or four times a week, but that his father didn’t use drugs and lived in a caravan at Capel.

He told the jury the day before his arrest he had gone to Brussels with a friend and never met up with his father.

He said texts between them involved the price paid for two cars and the costs of doing them up for resale. He denied the calls were drug-related.

Judge Timothy Nash told Michael Melia he had been caught red-handed and had no alternative but to admit smuggling the cocaine, and said Simon Melia’s claim that his arrival at Coquelles was coincidental to that of his father was nonsense.

Father and son were sentenced to 12 and ten years for drug smuggling respectively.