A Portuguese court jailed a British pensioner couple for eight years on Thursday for smuggling nine kilos of cocaine into Europe in their luggage on a luxury cruise from the Caribbean.

Roger Clarke, 72, and Sue Clarke, 71, a married couple from the southern English county of Kent, were arrested in December after Portuguese authorities found cocaine in their suitcases while their cruise ship MC Marco Polo was docked in Lisbon. The arrests came after a tip-off from British authorities.

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. The couple had previously been convicted of a similar crime in Norway.

Holding hands and crying, the pensioners, who said 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.

The couple's lawyer Susana Paisana told reporters she would consider appealing the sentence, but for now the couple will remain in jail in Lisbon.