Glam influencer Ellie Crampsie, who was jailed after smuggling £150,000 worth of cannabis through a major UK airport, is among some of the worst drug mules. The 23-year-old was sentenced to 16 months behind bars after being caught with more than 17kg of cannabis stuffed into a suitcase following a flight from Thailand.
Caught at Edinburgh Airport
She claimed she had been forced into carrying the drugs by a former boyfriend and was stopped by Border Force officers at Edinburgh Airport on April 16 last year after flying from Thailand via Paris. A search of her luggage uncovered 17 vacuum-sealed packages containing 17.7kg of cannabis, with a street value estimated at between £115,000 and £151,000.
At her sentencing, Sheriff Graeme Watson accepted there had been a "power imbalance" in the relationship and that Crampsie had been "naive and potentially taken advantage of". But he described her conduct as "reckless" and said a custodial sentence was unavoidable.
Released on Tag
Just months after being locked up she was pictured at a music festival called Colourfest at the Braehead waterfront. The 23-year-old, who has built a social media following through her links to Glasgow's nightlife and events scene, posted pictures of herself at the event on Instagram – her first new post on the account since she was sentenced in April. She has also posted 25 videos on TikTok since August 9.
It is understood Crampsie remains under the care of the Scottish Prison Service but has been released on Home Detention Curfew, meaning she is required to wear a tag and comply with strict licence conditions.
Other Drug Smuggling Cases
Her case is just one of a number of extraordinary incidents involving Brits accused of becoming drug couriers after travelling overseas. Chef Robin Wild was jailed for three years after attempting to smuggle £200,000 worth of cannabis into Scotland from Thailand. The 26-year-old was stopped by Border Force officers at Edinburgh Airport after arriving from Thailand via Doha on June 16.
An x-ray of his suitcase showed what officers believed was organic material and a search uncovered 40 vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis, with a street value of around £200,000. Wild initially claimed he had no idea what was inside the case. He told officers he had travelled alone to Thailand and met a Scottish man called Tom, who asked him to bring a suitcase back to Scotland. Wild claimed the first case had been seized by Thai authorities before he could fly home and said Tom subsequently gave him another suitcase and paid him £4,000. But the advocate depute told the court Wild did know what was inside the suitcase. Sentencing him at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Cubie told Wild: "You knowingly tried to bring drugs to the UK purely for your selfish financial gain."
Couple Accused in Australia
In a separate case on the other side of the world, Scottish couple Demi McDaid and Jack Farrelly have been accused of becoming involved in a huge ketamine operation in Australia. Mum-of-two McDaid, 23, and Farrelly, 30, were arrested at a Sydney hotel on June 26 after police allegedly discovered 107kg of ketamine packed into a shared rental car.
Officers also found a number of mobile phones, more than $2,000 in cash and documents alleged to be drug ledgers. A further 2kg of ketamine was allegedly uncovered during a raid at a unit in the Sydney suburb of Artarmon. The total haul is understood to have an estimated street value of AUD$11million – around £5.7million.
NSW Police allege the pair travelled to Australia with the "sole purpose" of taking part in the distribution and supply of large commercial quantities of prohibited drugs. Both have been charged with two counts of supplying a prohibited drug and were refused bail when they appeared at Manly Local Court. They are due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on August 25. Police said their investigation into anyone else who may have been involved was continuing.
