A married couple from Britain have been jailed for smuggling nine kilos of cocaine into Europe in their luggage on a luxury cruise from the Caribbean.

A Portuguese court ordered Roger Clarke, 72, and Sue Clarke, 71, from Kent, to serve their eight-year sentences in that country, rather than in a UK prison.

Authorities acting on a tipoff from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) found cocaine in the couple’s suitcases while their cruise ship, MC Marco Polo, was docked in Lisbon.

The judge said the court had taken into consideration, not only the “devastating effects [of cocaine] on people’s lives”, but also Portugal being often used as a major entry point for illegal drugs to Europe.

“(The couple) only accepted to do it because of high profits” from drug trafficking, the judge said. The couple had previously been convicted of a similar crime in Norway, the Reuters news agency reported.

The suitcases were brought to Lisbon from the Caribbean island of St Lucia and were found inside the couple’s cruise cabin. The judge said the couple was “fully aware” the cocaine was inside the suitcases.

Holding hands and crying, the couple, who claim they were tricked into smuggling the drugs, said they want people to know the “real story” but did not make any further declarations to reporters.

Their lawyer, Susana Paisana, told reporters she would consider appealing the sentence but that, for now, the couple would remain in jail in Lisbon. The court did not find any reason why they should be expelled from Portugal to the UK.

“The transnational nature of organised drugs networks makes international collaboration essential, and the NCA works with partners around the world to coordinate action, disrupt drug-smuggling networks and prevent illegal drugs reaching the UK in the first place,” the agency’s deputy director international, Tom Dowdall, said.

“In this case, through our international network, we were able to share intelligence with our Portuguese colleagues, leading to the recovery of a significant quantity of cocaine and the arrest of two suspected smugglers.

“Organised crime groups rely on couriers such as the Clarkes to move their product across international borders. While their role might seem small, they provide a crucial link in a chain which causes violence and exploitation in source countries and on the streets of the UK.”