Milius swallowed almost 1kg of cocaine. Pic: Valerie Everett

A Lithuanian man who swallowed 969 grams of cocaine has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for drug smuggling.

Mindaugas Milius, 37 and from Beckton, was travelling home from a three-week holiday in Bolivia on December 23 last year, when customs officers in the “Nothing To Declare” area of Gatwick Airport stopped him at 10.30pm.

A body scan revealed that he had over 90 packages of cocaine inside his body. 726 grams of the cocaine Milius had consumed was tested at 100 per cent purity.

The defending lawyer, Miss Bald, told Croydon Crown Court on Monday: “We talk about a ladder here, he [Milius] is at the lower rung.

“Here we have a man who imbibed 96 packages [of cocaine], one package would have been enough to kill him – he was dispensable.”

The court heard that Milius had been addicted to cocaine for four years and had started a drug awareness course.

Judge John Tanzer refuted the claim that Milius was addicted to cocaine.

He said: “You don’t get addicted to cocaine, it’s crack you get addicted to. I’ve read a book – you can’t get physically addicted to cocaine.”

Bald conceded that her client was not physically addicted to cocaine but psychologically addicted.

Commenting on the amount of cocaine the defendant attempted to smuggle, Judge Tanzer said: “He’s not smuggling that amount for his own use is he?”

Milius had originally been charged with trying to smuggle 500 grams of cocaine, but this was amended to 969 grams on the prosecution’s request. The defence accepted the amendment and Milius pleaded guilty.

On sentencing Milius, Judge Tanzer said: “You are given full credit for your plea of guilty, but you must understand that I have to give you an immediate custodial sentence.

“This sentence will be of the shortest period, and I take into account that you have no previous convictions.”