Two Birmingham women are among four people who have pleaded guilty to smuggling cocaine worth more than £1 million into the UK on a cruise ship.

Customs officers swooped on P&O's Arcadia as it docked in Southampton at 6.30am on October 19 and arrested seven people, four of whom had cocaine strapped to their bodies.

Briony Marie Dyce, 25, of Brearley Street, and Camille Danielle Dupee, 19, of Raleigh Close, both Handsworth, along with Natalie Ellen Quinn, 26, of Rochdale and Calvin Neil Hylton, 41, of Manchester; all pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court to attempting to smuggle drugs.

Judge Derwin Hope remanded the four in custody until January 16 when they will be sentenced.

A spokeswoman for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said the four had almost 20 kilos of cocaine with a street value of £1.7 million strapped to their bodies. About 13 kilos of it was almost 100% pure.

They were charged with the importation of a class A drug and three others arrested at the time were released on bail until January 20, 2009.

HMRC assistant director criminal investigation, Peter Avery, said: "The skills of our HMRC investigators and UKBA officers have kept £1.7 million of devastating drugs from our streets. Those guilty of smuggling this deadly cargo will be sentenced in January.

"Our investigators will continue to pursue those who mastermind and finance this kind of illegal trade."