Eleven People Charged with £14m Cannabis Smuggling Attempt at Birmingham Airport
Police have made 11 arrests in connection with an attempt to smuggle nearly £14 million worth of cannabis from Thailand into the UK, with over half a tonne of the class B drug seized at Birmingham airport last August.
The suspects, aged between 21 and 35, arrived in the UK via Paris Charles de Gaulle airport before travelling to their destinations. Nine of them appeared in court on Friday, where they were released on bail until their next appearance in November. Six more men are under investigation for their alleged role in organizing the smuggling operation.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) described the seized cannabis as an "enormous amount", emphasizing that it would have been extremely profitable for organized crime gangs had it remained undetected. The agency's commander, Kevin Broadhead, warned anyone considering smuggling drugs into the UK about the risks involved, saying "the chances of getting caught are high" and that it's "just not worth that risk".
Cannabis trafficking from Thailand has become increasingly popular in recent years, with hotspots including the country itself, Canada, and areas in the US where cannabis is decriminalized. Gangs can make significant profits by selling high-quality cannabis trafficked from these countries.
The case follows several high-profile cannabis trafficking cases recently, including former Arsenal footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who was sentenced to prison for orchestrating a plot to smuggle cannabis into the UK. A 19-year-old student nurse, Bella Culley, was also arrested in May after being stopped with 14kg of cannabis worth £200,000.
Culley had initially faced up to 20 years in jail or life imprisonment if convicted but has since entered into a plea-bargain deal that could result in a two-year sentence. The NCA's ongoing investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are urging anyone involved in smuggling drugs to think carefully about the potential consequences.
Police have made 11 arrests in connection with an attempt to smuggle nearly £14 million worth of cannabis from Thailand into the UK, with over half a tonne of the class B drug seized at Birmingham airport last August.
The suspects, aged between 21 and 35, arrived in the UK via Paris Charles de Gaulle airport before travelling to their destinations. Nine of them appeared in court on Friday, where they were released on bail until their next appearance in November. Six more men are under investigation for their alleged role in organizing the smuggling operation.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) described the seized cannabis as an "enormous amount", emphasizing that it would have been extremely profitable for organized crime gangs had it remained undetected. The agency's commander, Kevin Broadhead, warned anyone considering smuggling drugs into the UK about the risks involved, saying "the chances of getting caught are high" and that it's "just not worth that risk".
Cannabis trafficking from Thailand has become increasingly popular in recent years, with hotspots including the country itself, Canada, and areas in the US where cannabis is decriminalized. Gangs can make significant profits by selling high-quality cannabis trafficked from these countries.
The case follows several high-profile cannabis trafficking cases recently, including former Arsenal footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who was sentenced to prison for orchestrating a plot to smuggle cannabis into the UK. A 19-year-old student nurse, Bella Culley, was also arrested in May after being stopped with 14kg of cannabis worth £200,000.
Culley had initially faced up to 20 years in jail or life imprisonment if convicted but has since entered into a plea-bargain deal that could result in a two-year sentence. The NCA's ongoing investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are urging anyone involved in smuggling drugs to think carefully about the potential consequences.
14 million quid of pure evil just walked out of Birmingham Airport without doing a day of hard labor 
. I mean, what's next? Is it okay to just bring a few kilos of whatever is hot and profitable to sell on the black market? Newsflash: if you're part of this crew, the NCA is watching and waiting for you to slip up 
. The fact that it took 11 people working together to try and smuggle this amount out is just wild to me... who gets into a scheme like this thinking they can get away with it? The UK's got enough problems without people putting their lives on the line for a quick buck 
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. And to all the young folks like Bella Culley who thought they could just get away with it, let this be a lesson: you never know when your life is gonna change in an instant 
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. But seriously, the NCA's warning about the risks involved makes total sense. I mean, we've seen cases before where people get caught and face serious prison time. It's not worth risking your freedom for that kind of money. And have you noticed how cannabis trafficking has become more popular lately? Like, it's becoming a thing in certain parts of Canada and the US too 
can u even imagine?! like that's a LOT of weed lol but seriously tho, 6 more ppl r under investigation so hopefully they catch them all 
what's crazy is it's not just the ppl smugglin' the drugs, but also the gangs makin' profits from sellin' it 
and now ppl are gettin' caught & facin time or plea deals like Bella Culley did 
I'm all for people making a living from their passions, but this is just not right 
. I mean, £14m worth of weed? That's a serious risk to take, especially when you consider the potential prison time and financial losses 
Let's focus on finding safer and more positive ways to make a living 
can you even imagine the amount of money they were making from selling it? £14 million is like, whoa 
anyway, I'm glad the NCA was able to bust them and save the country from all that illegal stuff 
Kevin Broadhead's warning about the risks involved is totally true - I don't think it's worth risking your freedom over a bunch of cash 
they got those high-profile cases goin on like jay emmanuel-thomas & bella culley what's the point? u get caught, u get a long sentence 
another thing, cannabis trafficking from thailand & canada is gettin popular lol, like what's next? usa? 
and yeah, 11 ppl got arrested for £14m worth of weed, that's wild