A drugs courier caught with almost 44kg of cannabis hidden in his luggage after landing at Glasgow Airport has been jailed for 12 months, as the National Crime Agency warns of a sharp rise in smugglers recruited through social media.
Zane Jamahl Hutton-Lewis, of Haringey, London, was stopped as he tried to make his way through Glasgow Airport on January 21, 2025, and was caught with 43.8kg of the Class B drug hidden inside his luggage. The 34-year-old was arrested by Border Force officers and an investigation was launched by the Scottish Organised Crime Partnership – a team of officers from the National Crime Agency and Police Scotland.
Last Friday, Hutton-Lewis was jailed for 12 months at Paisley Sheriff Court.
Sharp rise in cannabis smugglers
It comes after an explosion in the number of drugs couriers trying to smuggle cannabis. In 2023, 142 cannabis smugglers were caught arriving in the UK. In 2024 that number rocketed to 801 - a 464% increase. The figure rose again in 2025 to 976. And 2026 is on track to be even worse with 600 air passenger couriers arrested at UK airports in the first six months alone.
Social media influencer Ellie Crampsie from Glasgow was jailed for 16 months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for smuggling £150,000 of cannabis through Edinburgh Airport. Crampsie was found to have more than 37lb of the Class B drug stuffed into a suitcase as she travelled home from a holiday in Thailand in April last year.
New fines regime and warnings
Brits caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand will now have to pay huge new fines or face up to two years behind bars. The NCA has been working with Thai authorities to reduce the number of air passengers smuggling cannabis into the United Kingdom. Under the new fines regime that started on June 17, smugglers will have to pay Thai Customs 30,000 Baht (around £680) per kilo of cannabis. The ‘average’ smuggler is caught in Thailand with 26 kilos – equalling a fine of £17,680, and, if not paid will lead to a criminal prosecution with up to two years in jail.
Beki Wright, Head of the NCA’s Borders Threat Team, warned would-be couriers – who are normally recruited on social media – to think again if they are tempted to smuggle cannabis from Thailand. She said: “You will be kept in Thai detention until you have found the money to pay or for two years. “The crime groups that paid you to smuggle it will leave you high and dry. “If convicted, you face potentially life-changing jail sentences both in the UK and especially abroad. You’ll also have a criminal record, which could wreck future job prospects and your ability to travel abroad. “It just isn’t worth the risk.”
