PJ police, in collaboration with the Maritime Police, made the arrests after the ship, the Marco Polo, operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages, docked in the Portuguese capital.

The force said they found 9kg of the class A drug, believed to have a street value of between 1 and €2 million, hidden in the four suitcases, which were seized. The couple have been identified as British by the media but reportedly live near Alicante on the Costa Blanca.

According to the Daily Mail the Clarkes´ hopes of being released on bail were crushed as the evidence against them is described as “extremely strong”. Roger Clarke is being held at a men´s prison in Lisbon and his wife Sue Clarke is being held at Tires Womens´ Prison, also in Lisbon. Drug trafficking, under Portuguese law, carries a prison sentence of up to 12 years.

The Daily Mail also writes that the state prosecutors have not disclosed whether the Clarkes, who have also served prison sentences in Norway for smuggling cannabis, had cooperated with the authorities. It also writes that Paul and Pauline Craven, former friends of the Clarkes, revealed that they refused an offer by Roger of a free all-expenses-paid transatlantic cruise under the condition that they bring back designer suitcases, which he would buy cheap in the Caribbean and resell for a massive profit.