A KENT man has begun a three-year prison sentence on the Caribbean island of St Lucia for possessing and attempting to export two-and-a-half kilos of cocaine.

Howard Hughes, from Ramsgate, was stopped at Hewanorra International Airport trying to smuggle the drugs out of the country.

The 56-year-old was caught with Alistair James MacDonald, 61, from Scotland.

Both men, who had been on the island since February 17, were attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight bound for Gatwick.

A report from the St Lucia Mirror newspaper said each had 2.5 kilos of cocaine in small parcels strapped to their thighs and stomachs.

The drugs were thought to have a street value of around 46,296 American dollars.

The pair, who were arrested on March 2, pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to three years for possession and three years for attempting to export the drug. Their sentences will run concurrently. The Foreign Office confirmed that the pair will serve their sentence in St Lucia.