Why an 8mph mobility scooter is now a drug gang's motor of choice

By EMILY ANDREWS

Last updated at 23:06 28 March 2008


Scooter man

Scooter smuggling: Dealers are feigning disability to try to keep ahead of the police (picture posed by model)

As the most sedate of motor transport, you'd think they are of little use as getaway cars.

But gangsters are finding their BMWs and Ferraris are becoming easy prey for the long arm of the law... and making mobility scooters their latest must-have.

Police say dealers have been posing as disabled people to smuggle drugs through the streets, hiding the stash inside the scooters.

With a top speed of only 8mph, the scooters are small enough to beat traffic jams and are generally inconspicuous.

A Metropolitan Police officer said: "This is just the latest tactic drug dealers have been using to try to keep ahead of the police.

"We've seen scooters bought specifically to move large amounts of illegal drugs over short distances.

"The substances have been packed into the insides of scooters and hidden. We can only assume they do it because they think we won't search them.

"These are not disabled people. Dealers are trying to find new ways to do their business because they know we are on to them."

Police have used Automatic Number Plate Recognition to track down dealers' cars - often BMWs, Ferraris and Lamborghinis - and so they moved to bicycles to avoid detection.

Mobility scooters do not need number plates or insurance and are a more anonymous way of travelling.

But that hasn't stopped some gangsters calling attention to themselves by "blinging up" the vehicles. One four-wheeler stopped in Brixton, South London, was decorated with jewellery.

Britain has about 250,000 mobility scooters in operation - and they retail from the basic model at £355 up to the Celebrity XL8 at £1,295 or Jazzy select at £1,695.

Cathy Middleton, Managing Director at mobility.buddy.co.uk, said: "I don't think these people will be buying new scooters - I would expect them to be buying them second-hand.

"Unless someone is disabled then they can't buy a scooter - they have to fill in a VAT exemption-form but it's quite easy to get around as someone can come in to buy one for their grandmother.

"It's quite funny that they are blinging up their scooters - but older people do too.

"They are proud of the scooters, which for many is their only form of transport, so they spray-paint them, add air horns, personalised number plates and all sorts."

Although the machines are intended for the infirm, anyone over 14 can use them. Those capable of going faster than 4mph must be registered with DVLA as a Class 3 invalid carriage.

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