A man has been arrested by National Crime Agency officers on suspicion of orchestrating the attempted importation of cannabis worth £600,000 through Stansted Airport.
The 33-year-old was detained just after 8am today (Wednesday 18 September) in Gourock, Inverclyde, in an operation supported by officers from Police Scotland.
He has now been taken to Carlisle to be questioned.
It follows the arrest of two women aged 28 and 32 at Stansted on 2 September, after Border Force officers detected around 60 kilos of the drug in two suitcases which had arrived on a flight from Bangkok.
After being questioned by the NCA both were charged with drug importation offences. They appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates and were bailed to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 1 October.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer David Phillips said:
“The NCA continues to work with partners like Border Force to target those involved in drug smuggling – that includes both the couriers and the organisers.
“We would appeal to anyone who is approached to engage in any kind of smuggling to think very carefully about the likely consequences of their actions, and the potentially life-changing risks they will be taking.”
In August the National Crime Agency issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the United States that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to bring cannabis into the country, after a huge upsurge in arrests.
The amount of cannabis seized so far in 2024 is already over three times more than in the whole of 2023.
People travelling with the drugs as couriers reported being told by their recruiters that they were only risking a fine if caught. However, the maximum sentence for cannabis importation in the UK is up to 14 years in prison.
18 September 2024
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