A gang of drug smugglers, including three from Greater Manchester, paid extra baggage charges to bring 22 suitcases packed with cannabis from Thailand into the UK because they were so heavy. The couriers were part of a plot to smuggle cannabis worth £13.8m into the country, police said.
A court heard each courier had two suitcases packed with 20 kilos of cannabis. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the couriers even had to pay an excess charge at Bangkok Airport to put the cases in the hold because of their weight. All 11 people involved have now been convicted.
Three from Greater Manchester among those convicted
Bradley Lloyd, 27, of no fixed abode but from Wythenshawe; Lewis Ross, 35, of Rupert Street, Bolton; and Claire McCullough, 36, of Meliden Crescent, Wythenshawe, all pleaded guilty to knowingly being concerned in the carrying of cannabis with intent to evade prohibition under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
The three, together with eight others convicted, will be sentenced at a later date. All 11 were arrested by Border Force officers at Birmingham Airport in August 2024. The NCA said they had arrived in the UK on the same flights from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.
Air tags and instructions revealed
Each suitcase had a thin layer of clothing above the vacuum-packed cannabis, and eight of them contained Apple Air Tag trackers. NCA investigators identified they were connected to the same Apple ID account, the agency said.
In a statement, the NCA said: "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'."
NCA and Border Force warnings
NCA senior investigating officer Paul Boniface said: "A huge amount of planning went into this sophisticated attempt to bring hundreds of kilos of cannabis into the UK. The detailed coordination of flights and luggage demonstrates the lengths criminals will go to in order to hide their offending. With thanks to Border Force, we were able to confiscate these drugs and stop criminals from benefitting financially from the damage they cause."
He added: "Anyone who is approached to smuggle drugs into the UK should take this as a sign; you will not succeed, and if you try, you will face justice."
Adam Chatfield, Head of Border Force Midlands Command, said: "These convictions should be a stark warning to anyone considering bringing cannabis into the UK. The young people involved now face a serious crime on their records, damaging their job prospects and life chances. More than ever, we are working closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas to combat drug smuggling, keep our communities safe and our borders secure."
The NCA said the number of people trying to bring cannabis into the UK has 'sharply increased' over recent years. Figures show that in 2024, 801 cannabis smugglers were caught arriving in the UK by plane – an increase of 464 per cent on 2023. The figure rose to 976 in 2025, and the NCA said it is on track to rise again this year.
