Eleven British drug couriers have been convicted of a sophisticated plot to smuggle cannabis worth £13.8 million into the UK through Birmingham Airport. The National Crime Agency investigated the group after Border Force officers seized the class B drugs packed into 22 suitcases in August 2024.
The suspects arrived on the same flights from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Those convicted are Carsten Kyei, 21, of Newham, east London; Bradley Lloyd, 27, and Claire McCullough, 36, both of Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Lewis Ross, 35, of Bolton, Lancashire; Nathan Vitorino, 26, of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire; Ryan Boachie, 32, of Edmonton, north London; Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, of Dagenham; Tasia Nelson, 22, of Newquay, Cornwall; Jaden Ramen, 23, of Colliers Wood, south London; Paige Crisp, 24, of Broomhall, Worcester; and Jamal Clarke, 22, of Walthamstow, London.
Details of the smuggling operation
Birmingham Crown Court heard that each courier carried two suitcases containing 20kg of cannabis each, amounting to 460kg in total. The bags were so heavy that excess charges were paid at Bangkok Airport to place them in the hold. A thin layer of clothing covered vacuum-packed cannabis, and eight suitcases contained Apple AirTags linked to the same Apple ID.
Suspicions were raised when Border Force noted that four passengers had earlier that day flown from Birmingham to Charles de Gaulle, each with two large suitcases. Officers fully staffed the Nothing to Declare channel and made the seizures. One courier was instructed: “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.”
Convictions and sentencing
Kyei and Vitorino were convicted on May 26, 2026 after a three-week trial. Ross and Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during that trial. Crisp, Nelson and Ramen were convicted on August 19 following a four-week trial. McCullough, Boachie, Olumoyegun and Clarke pleaded guilty at earlier hearings.
Those convicted this week will be sentenced on October 22. The others face sentencing on September 3.
Official warnings and rising smuggling numbers
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. 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.”
Victoria Norman of the Crown Prosecution Service said prosecutors had pieced together a highly coordinated effort to smuggle industrial quantities of drugs, leading to six guilty pleas and the rest convicted after trial. The convictions come as the NCA launches a social media campaign warning young people that smuggling cannabis from Thailand risks a foreign jail sentence, following a new Thai fines regime. The number of air passenger cannabis smugglers caught in the UK rose sharply from 801 in 2024 (a 464% increase on 2023) to 976 in 2025, with 600 arrests already recorded from January to June 2026. Campaign films on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube will direct viewers to Crimestoppers.
