Two teenagers have been arrested in Ghana on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine back to Britain and are being held in prison, Revenue and Customs confirmed.
The two youths, one aged 16 and another aged 19, who are both thought to live in east London, were intercepted by Ghanaian officers at Accra Airport on Saturday.
Both are Lithuanian nationals who had been resident in the UK. They had been about to board a plane to Gatwick when they were arrested, a Customs spokesman said.
The spokesman said they had been "provisionally charged" with drugs offences and were in prison.
He could not give any details of court hearings and when the legal process might begin.
It is thought the pair were on their way back from a West African holiday when they were apprehended.
They were allegedly carrying several kilos of pure cocaine in pellet form, which they had swallowed as well as hidden in their shoes and luggage.
The drugs have an estimated street value of more than £500,000 in the UK.
The 16-year-old told police he has a British mother and is a student at Newham College in east London, according to ITN.
The Customs spokesman said: "This is another case which really should stand out as a clear warning to any youngster who is tempted to get involved in smuggling drugs out of Ghana. Controls there are really quite tight and there is a very high likelihood that you will get arrested."
