An Oxfordshire man has been jailed for drug offences after he received a parcel of nutmeg shells which were hiding a delivery of crack cocaine.

Dc Jill Morton with some of the nuts in which the drugs were foundJames Gilbert, 30, of Herald Way, Bicester, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply and import class A drugs and sentenced to 10 years at Oxford Crown Court on Monday.

Steve Philip, 47, of Kensington, London, was also found guilty of conspiracy to supply and import class A drugs and possession of a class C drug with intent to supply and given 11 years.

The pair were arrested by police after customs officers at Heathrow airport performed a random check on two parcels addressed to Mr Gilbert, which had arrived from Trinidad.

One box contained herbs and spices from the Caribbean, but the second held 454 nutmeg shells, which had been emptied, filled with crack cocaine and resealed. The shells held 912 grams in total, with a street value of around £92,000.

Dc Jill Morton, of Bicester CID, said: "If the officers had opened the innocent box first they might not have found anything. It was quite lucky."

Customs and Excise informed police officers in Bicester that a 'controlled delivery' would be made by Parcelforce.

Dc Morton said: "It was delivered and accepted by Mr Gibson, and he was arrested. The house was searched and he then informed us of Mr Philip's involvement."

Mr Gibson, originally from South Africa, moved to Bicester a few months ago to be with his girlfriend.

Police believe the drugs were to be sent on to Mr Philips for sale in London.

Dc Jill Morton said: "It is an enormous success for us, some of the drugs could have got onto the streets of Bicester. This partnership work shows that importing of drugs into the country will be intercepted and criminals will be brought to justice."