Cannabis smuggling from Thailand to Britain is reaching record levels, drug mules have warned

At a Thai port, customs officials deposited a 1.4 tonne shipment of dried cannabis stones and pre-rolled joints, complete with ‘Premium’ labels and Bob Marley stickers – all packed and ready to go to its intended market: Britain.

Since Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis two years ago, British ports and airports have recorded a rise in drug seizures smuggled from the kingdom.

In the past two weeks alone, more than 260kg of cannabis was discovered in the suitcases of passengers arriving from Bangkok at British airports. Two Malaysians were among those arrested, adding to the growing list of at least 90 compatriots detained at the UK border this year for cannabis-related crimes.

The British National Crime Agency (NCA) warns that organized crime groups in Thailand are increasingly growing cannabis. Canada And the United Stateswhere high-quality, potent buds can be grown legally and at a fraction of what it would cost to produce them in the UK.

This profitability allows these groups to easily offset the costs of smuggling, through containers or by hiring couriers, while minimizing the risks associated with operating UK-based grow houses.

A cannabis farm, or grow house, discovered by police in Great Britain. Photo: National Crime Agency/handout

But anyone who succumbs to the lure of a quick buck and is caught smuggling cannabis, which is still plentiful and legal in Thailand, could face up to 14 years in prison for drug trafficking in Britain.