Former cricketer given 13 years for drug smuggling
Chris Lewis found guilty of smuggling cocaine into UK last year
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Wednesday, 20, May 2009 10:47
Former England cricketer Chris Lewis has been found guilty of drugs smuggling by a jury at Croydon crown court and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The 41-year-old, of Bruce Road, London, was convicted of attempting to smuggle more than 3kg of cocaine with a street value of £140,000 into the UK through Gatwick airport in December last year.
Lewis denied all knowledge of possessing the drug, which was found in five tins in his luggage when he was stopped at Customs after arriving back from St Lucia in the Caribbean. He claimed he thought the tins were filled with fruit juice.
Lewis' co-defendant - former London Towers basketball player Chad Kirnon, 27, from Islington, north London - who was arrested and charged after being found in possession of cocaine on the same flight has been given the same sentence.
All-rounder Lewis appeared for England in 32 Test matches, taking 93 wickets at an average of 37.52 and averaging 23.02 with the bat. He also made 53 one-day appearances for his country.
However, over his professional career Lewis struggled to establish his place in the side, with many regarding him as an outsider.
Lewis had attempted to make a comeback in Twenty20 cricket for Surrey in 2008 but injury prevented him making a real impact.