Four members of a drug smuggling gang have been jailed in the UK over an attempt to import £13.8 million worth of cannabis from Thailand. The sentences were announced by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on September 21, following a lengthy investigation into a major drug seizure at Birmingham Airport.
The four men were among 11 couriers arrested in August 2024 after Border Force officers discovered 460 kilogrammes of cannabis packed into 22 suitcases. The group had travelled from Thailand to Birmingham via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Bradley Lloyd, 27, received the longest sentence of four years, while Lewis Ross, 35, and Nathan Vitorino, 26, were each jailed for two years and eight months. Carsten Kyei, 21, received two years and six months. The remaining seven convicted couriers are due to be sentenced on October 22.
The court heard that the couriers had checked in two suitcases each at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. They reportedly had to pay excess baggage charges before boarding their flights.
Eight of the suitcases contained Apple AirTag trackers, which NCA investigators later discovered were connected to the same Apple ID account. The court also heard that one courier had been instructed to wait at Birmingham Airport until a contact arrived to collect the luggage.
Border Force officers became suspicious after establishing links between passengers travelling on connecting flights into Birmingham. They deployed additional officers to the airport’s Nothing to Declare customs channel, where the cannabis was subsequently discovered.
The seizure led to an investigation by the NCA, which established that the 11 couriers were part of a coordinated attempt to import the drugs.
Kyei and Vitorino were convicted on May 26 following a three-week trial, while Lloyd and Ross changed their pleas to guilty during the proceedings. The remaining seven members were convicted or pleaded guilty in separate hearings and are scheduled to be sentenced on October 22.
The NCA initially estimated the value of the cannabis at approximately £5 million in October 2024, describing the seizure as more than half a tonne. Its latest statement puts the quantity at 460 kilogrammes and the value of the attempted importation at £13.8 million. The agency has not explained the difference between the earlier and later figures.
Five additional men were arrested in Luton and London in October 2024 on suspicion of organising the attempted importations. The NCA’s latest statement does not specify the subsequent outcome of those arrests.
In similar news:
- 3 Thai women held at Sri Lanka airport with nearly 8kg of cannabis
- Hong Kong seizes record 535kg cannabis shipment from Thailand
- Four foreign tourists arrested with cannabis at Phuket Airport
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