Former England and Surrey cricketer Chris Lewis has been charged with smuggling four kilos of cocaine worth £200,000 into Gatwick Airport.

Lewis, 40, and basketball player Chad Kirnon, 26, were seized yesterday as they arrived from the Caribbean island of St Lucia.

UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers had found the four kilos of cocaine in solution contained in fruit tins.

They both appeared at Crawley Magistrates' Court this morning charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into the UK, and were remanded in custody until December, when they will appear via video link at Mid Sussex Magistrates Court in Haywards Heath.

Bob Gaiger, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Gatwick spokesman said: "This was an excellent detection by UK Border Agency officers.

"HMRC together with UKBA play a vital role in the fight to prevent illegal drugs from entering the UK and in protecting our communities from the violence and corruption that always accompany this hideous trade."

Lewis, whose brother Jason plays cricket for the Old Whitgiftians team, played for England in the 1990s, racking up 32 test matches and 53 one day internationals.

The Guyana-born player has a long history with Surrey, and resigned for the side this season for their twenty20 games.

He is perhaps most well known for being the bowler who Brian Lara pulled for four to break the record for the highest score in a test match in April 1994 in Antigua.

He has also played for Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.

Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to drugs smuggling should call HMRC's customs hotline, 0800 59 5000.