Four jailed over £13.8m international drug plot

Four members of an international drugs gang have been jailed after trying to smuggle cannabis with a street value of £13.8m into the UK from Thailand.

It comes after 11 gang members were arrested by border force officers at Birmingham Airport in August 2024 when the Class B drug was discovered packed into 22 suitcases, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Investigators said they had travelled to the UK from Thailand, via Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, and had to pay excess baggage charges at Bangkok airport because of the weight of their suitcases.

Each member was caught with two cases holding 20kg (44lb) of vacuum-packed cannabis below clothing, amounting to a total of 460kg (1,014lb).

The drugs were discovered when border force officials linked the seizures to those using connecting flights into Birmingham, and in response fully staffed the nothing to declare customs channel at the airport.

Investigators found eight of the cases also contained Apple Air Tags which were all connected to the same Apple ID account.

One courier was told: "My man gonna be on the other side - don't leave the airport until you see him leave. Even if your bags are there just let them go round on the belt, go toilet etc. etc."

Following an investigation, 11 people were charged with attempting to carry, remove, deposit, harbour, keep, conceal and deal with Class B drugs with intent to evade prohibition on importing.

Carsten Kyei, 21, from Newham, London, and Nathan Vitorino, 26, from Welwyn Garden City, were found guilty and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on Monday, following a three-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

Lewis Ross, 35, from Bolton, Lancashire, and Bradley Lloyd, 27, from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, both changed their pleas to guilty at the same trial, with Ross jailed for two years and eight months and Lloyd jailed for four years.

Paige Crisp, 24, of Malvern, Worcestershire; Tasia Nelson, 22, of Newquay, Cornwall, and Jaden Ramen, 23, of Merton, London, were all convicted of the same charge at the same court in August.

Claire McCullough, 36, of Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Ryan Boachie, 32, of Edmonton, London; Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, of Dagenham, London, and Jamal Clarke, 22, of Mile End, London, all pleaded guilty at previous hearings.

The remaining members of the group are all due to be sentenced at the same court on 22 October.

Paul Boniface, NCA senior investigating officer, said the sentences showed drugs couriers could end up "paying a high price" for smuggling cannabis to the UK.

"With the help of border force, we were able to intercept these drugs, deprive the criminal network behind the importation of considerable profits and protect the public from the damaging effects of cannabis," he said.

Adam Chatfield, head of Border Force Midlands Command, added: "These convictions should be a stark warning to anyone considering bringing cannabis into the UK.

"The young people involved now have a serious crime on their records, damaging their job prospects and life chances."

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