THAILAND, UK – UK airports caught 976 suspected cannabis mules last year, most of them flying in from Thailand. Police numbers show a massive surge from just 142 arrests in 2023.
The number of busts jumped sevenfold in twelve months. In the six months to June, another 600 wannabe smugglers were stopped before they could get through.
Gangs offer free Thailand holidays
Organised crime groups trawl Snapchat and TikTok looking for recruits. They dangle one-week trips to Thailand with flights, hotels and spending money.
In return, the mules must bring cannabis back in their luggage. After a successful run, they get up to 5,000 pounds. Some are threatened with violence if they back out.
Cannabis legal in Thailand, export still banned
Thailand made cannabis cultivation legal in 2022 after decriminalisation. The bigger supply pushed prices down and triggered a spike in illegal export attempts.
Tourists should not assume that openly sold cannabis products can be legally taken out of the country. Without a permit, taking it across the border is forbidden.
Mules face 14 years in UK prison
Paul Pantry, head of border risk at the National Crime Agency, warned that mules lose control once they agree to carry the goods. He said there is often no easy way out.
Organised criminals do not care about the couriers, they abandon them and drag them into a murky, violent world.
said Pantry.
Drug smuggling in the UK carries up to 14 years behind bars. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia can impose life sentences or even the death penalty.
One haul worth 250,000 pounds
A kilo of Thai cannabis is worth about 10,000 pounds on UK streets. The average mule carries around 25 kilos, making a single trip worth roughly 250,000 pounds.
Some suspects already have criminal records. Many others see themselves as influencers and fall for a glamorous, social-media-friendly lifestyle, according to the NCA.
Influencer and mother caught red-handed
Amy Durban from Cullompton in Devon pleaded guilty on Thursday. She was caught at Heathrow with cannabis from Thailand worth more than 500,000 pounds in her suitcase. Sentencing is set for October.
Influencer Ellie Crampsie from Glasgow was arrested at Edinburgh Airport last year after arriving from Thailand with 17 kilos of cannabis worth 150,000 pounds. She got 16 months in jail in April.
Pregnant teen and others caught abroad
Pregnant 19-year-old Bella Culley from Billingham in Teesside was arrested at Tbilisi Airport in Georgia last year with Thai cannabis. She faced 20 years but got out after five months under a plea deal.
Charlotte Lee May from south London was caught in Sri Lanka in May last year with 46 kilos of cannabis from Thailand. She faces up to 20 years in prison there.