Men posing as cleaners for a ferry company in an attempt to smuggle cocaine into the UK have been jailed.

Kevin Carter, 56, from Manston, and 30-year-old passenger Louis Manning-Chamberlain, from Westgate-on-Sea, were stopped in Mr Carter’s car as they left the docks at Dover in August 2018.

Sporting a hi-vis jacket, Carter presented his security pass and claimed he had been working on board a ferry as part of his legitimate industrial cleaning business.

He also said he had been working alongside employee Manning-Chamberlain to clean tanks on board the boats.

But the National Crime Agency investigation was launched after Border Force officers searched Carter’s vehicle and uncovered a hide in the footwell behind the seats, buried under a mound of rubbish.

Hidden inside was 13 kilos of cocaine which would have been worth more than £1 million at street level.

It was later found that Carter’s security pass had been revoked earlier in the year but he had continued to use it in an attempt to evade border control.

Officers discovered that, during the period of investigation, Carter, of Manston Road, did not work as a cleaner on the ferries whilst Manning-Chamberlain, of Canterbury Road, had worked just a single shift.

Both men were charged with attempting to smuggle a class A drug.

Carter admitted the offence in December 2022 and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Manning-Chamberlain was found guilty following a trial in February and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday.

NCA senior investigating officer Darren Herbert said: “Carter and Manning-Chamberlain took advantage of their security clearances to try to bypass border checks with their illegal cargo.

“But our investigation proved their cover story was bogus, and as a result they have been handed these sentences.

“The NCA is committed to protecting the public from the serious and organised crime that fuels the drugs trade and will continue our work to tackle it.”