A lorry driver who claimed to be shipping sushi, bratwurst and chocolate was caught carrying £653,000 worth of cocaine.

Vaidotas Tuoma, 52, was arrested in February when Border Force officers discovered eight kilos of cocaine and 800 cigarettes on the French side of the Channel Tunnel.

A jury took just 20 minutes to find Tuoma guilty of drug smuggling.

The Lithuanian national told police he thought the packages of cocaine contained tobacco.

Tuoma claimed he was approached on the Dutch/Belgium border by a Russian speaking man asking him to bring tobacco into the UK.

He was told to meet a contact at a Maidstone service station, who would say "tobacco" and Tuoma would receive payment for his efforts.

Tuoma told investigators he hid the packages under the bunk of because he thought it was over the legal amount allowed to be brought into the UK.

When asked for details of the mystery man, Tuoma was unable to provide any.

The driver was jailed for nine years at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday.

Darren Herbert, National Crime Agency senior investigating officer, said: "The compelling evidence and Tuoma’s claim an unknown Russian gave him tobacco to deliver to another unknown person weighed very heavily against him. It took the jury just 20 minutes to convict him at Canterbury Crown Court.

"Drugs fuel violent crime and other criminal activities.

"This conviction is another example of how working together with our Border Force colleagues has prevented a significant quantity of Class A drugs ending up on the streets of the UK."

Paul Morgan, director of Border Force South East and Europe, said: "This is another excellent example of Border Force officers preventing Class A drugs from ending up on the streets of the UK, where they cause significant harm to both individuals and communities.

"Working with the NCA and other law enforcement partners we will continue to tackle smuggling of all kinds and bring those responsible to justice."