Kristopher Purvis, 35, ferried 15 packages containing the Class A drugs from Mexico to Edinburgh Airport along with another man in July 2024.
But his plan was thwarted after Border Force officials stopped and searched the cases as he made his way through the airport’s nothing-to-declare channel.
Purvis, of Durham, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh after he pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of the ban on importing controlled drugs.
Moira Orr, who leads on Major Crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said:
“This was a substantial attempt to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland.
“Kristopher Purvis has now been held accountable thanks to an extensive Border Force operation, working with COPFS, to investigate a network of drug supply.
“With each case of this kind we can help reduce the harm that these drugs inflict on communities.
“We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements.”
The court heard how the two men arrived at Edinburgh after a brief layover at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris following the flight from Mexico.
They were carrying the two suitcases and a plastic bag containing four sombreros.
They were intercepted by Border Force officials, who uncovered the drugs following a search of the luggage.
Eight vacuum-sealed plastic packages were discovered inside Purvis’s suitcase.
After cutting into one, the officer found it contained a second sealed package covered in a foul-smelling yellow liquid, which appeared to be mustard.
The second package contained a white powder.
His travelling companion’s case was also searched with a further seven packages containing the Class A drug.
The 15 packages recovered were each found to contain about three kilos of cocaine which had an average purity of 52%. The maximum street value of the total haul was up to £5,640,000.
Purvis was cautioned and replied: “It’s all mine, my mate had nothing to do with it. I put it in his case.”