A British mother caught smuggling over £500,000 worth of cannabis into the UK inside her suitcases had bragged on Facebook that she was “on her way home to cut the grass.” Amy Jayne Durban, 45, from Hemyock in Devon, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on July 6 after arriving from Bangkok, Thailand, with 51.2kg of the illegal substance, which had an estimated street value of around £512,000.
Arrest and guilty plea
Durban was the subject of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation and was met by border force officers upon her arrival. She appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in July and pleaded guilty to smuggling Class B drugs at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, August 6. She was remanded into custody, and sentencing is scheduled for October 14.
Days before her arrest, Durban posted a cryptic message on Facebook, writing: “On her way home to cut the grass if you know what I mean. No ETA so you won’t know I’m about to hit your lawn.”
Rise in cannabis couriers
According to the NCA, there has been a rapid increase in drug couriers attempting to smuggle cannabis into the UK. Brits are typically recruited on social media by organised crime gangs offering a “free” holiday and spending money in exchange for acting as smugglers. They are tasked with transporting the drugs, which are then picked up by other criminals in the UK.
The number of cannabis smugglers caught at airports rose by 464% between 2023 and 2024, from 142 to 801 people. The figure increased again in 2025, and 2026 is reportedly on track to be even worse, with 600 passengers arrested in the first six months of the year.
Crackdown in Thailand
Durban’s conviction comes after the NCA and partners in Thailand announced a new crackdown. Those caught smuggling cannabis now face fines equivalent to £680 per kilogram. An “average” smuggler caught in Thailand with 26kg would face a fine of £17,680, and if unpaid, a two-year jail sentence in a Thai prison.
Mark Abbott, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “There are really bad outcomes at home and abroad when couriers are caught smuggling cannabis. As well as time in prison, a life-changing conviction will damage future career and travel prospects. People should understand that these crime groups use profits from cannabis smuggling to fund the trafficking of other drugs too. All of those drugs fuel wider crime in our communities and have a toxic effect on people’s lives.”
