Hundreds of drug couriers caught smuggling 15 tonnes of cannabis into UK | UK News

The amount of cannabis seized from smugglers carrying the drug in suitcases into UK airports has tripled in less than a year.

In 2024 alone, some 15 tonnes of the drug were detected at airports, compared to just five tonnes in all of 2023.

According to officials from the National Crime Agency (NCA), overproduction of the drug in countries where it has been legalised and the potential for bigger profits on the UK market could be behind the rise.

In 2023, a total of 136 suspects were arrested, while this year 378 suspects have already been arrested because passengers were stopped with huge amounts of cannabis in their luggage.

In May, 51-year-old Spaniard Fernando Mayans Fuster was arrested at Manchester Airport with eight suitcases containing 158kg of cannabis from LA.

On 19 July he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

Another major seizure took place at Birmingham Airport on 9 August, when 510kg of the drug was found in 28 suitcases brought from Thailand via Paris. Eleven passengers were arrested and bailed until 9 November.

In 2024, about half of those arrested came from Thailand, 75 from Canada and 47 from the US.

There are reports of couriers being paid up to £10,000 per journey but being wrongly told they will be fined if caught.

The maximum penalty for importing cannabis into the UK is 14 years’ imprisonment.

James Babbage, director general of the NCA’s threats unit, said: ‘In some cases it is unclear whether the mules knew what the potential penalties were, but in most cases they were operating on behalf of organised criminal gangs.

‘And it is precisely those couriers who run the risk of a potentially life-changing prison sentence.

‘Gangs can make significant profits by illegally selling and smuggling high-quality cannabis grown legally in the US, Canada and Thailand into the UK.

‘We call on anyone who is approached to participate in smuggling to think carefully about the possible consequences of their actions and the risks they run.

‘We know that organised criminals can be convincing and offer to pay couriers, but the chance of being caught is high and the risk is simply not worth it.’

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