National Crime Agency investigators have arrested five men in Luton and London in connection with the seizure of more than half a tonne of cannabis at Birmingham Airport.
The individuals, aged between 21 and 27, were apprehended at separate addresses in the Marsh Farm area of Luton and at one address in Finchley early this morning (23 October), in an operation that was assisted by officers from Bedfordshire Police.
They are suspected of organising the attempted importations in August this year, after which 11 air passengers from various locations in the UK were arrested and bailed pending further enquiries. They had flown into the UK from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The cannabis seized would have had a UK street value of around £5 million.
That same month the NCA issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the USA that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to smuggle cannabis into the country. The amount of cannabis seized in the UK so far in 2024 is three times more than the whole of 2023.
The increase in these seizures is fuelled by organised crime gangs who have access to cannabis grown overseas, in locations where it is legal, who are recruiting couriers to transport it to the UK where it can generate greater profit for them than growing the drugs themselves.
The men detained today remain in custody and are being questioned.
NCA Branch Commander Mick Pope said:
"The arrests in Luton and London show that we will leave no stone unturned in our hunt for anyone involved in attempts to smuggle cannabis into the UK, regardless of the level they operate at.
"The gangs behind this trade do not care that couriers will likely be arrested and end up in prison – their sole motivation is financial gain.
"Anyone who tries to smuggle drugs into the UK needs to know that they will be identified, arrested and spend time behind bars."
The NCA continues to work with law enforcement partners in both the UK and overseas to target high-risk routes, seize shipments of drugs and disrupt the criminal gangs involved, denying them profits.
Anyone with information on the smuggling of drugs through UK ports is urged to report it, anonymously if they prefer, by calling Border Force's Customs Hotline on 0800 595 000.
23 October 2024
