Convictions follow huge cannabis seizure

Eleven people have been convicted in connection with a plot to smuggle cannabis worth £13.8 million into the UK through Birmingham Airport. The group, which includes Tasia Nelson, a 22-year-old from Newquay, Cornwall, were arrested by Border Force officers in August 2024 after 510 kilos of class B drugs were found packed into 22 suitcases. The investigation was led by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which found that all the couriers had arrived into the UK on the same flights from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The full list of convicted individuals, as detailed in court, includes Carsten Kyei, 21, from Newham; Bradley Lloyd, 27, and Claire McCullough, 36, both from Wythenshawe; Lewis Ross, 35, from Bolton; Nathan Vitorino, 26, from Welwyn Garden City; Ryan Boachie, 32, from Edmonton; Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, from Dagenham; Tasia Nelson, 22, from Newquay; Jaden Ramen, 23, from Colliers Wood; Paige Crisp, 24, from Broomhall; and Jamal Clarke, 22, from Walthamstow.

The smuggling operation

Birmingham Crown Court heard that each courier had two suitcases, each packed with 20 kilos of cannabis, amounting to 460 kilos in total. The couriers had to pay an excess charge at Bangkok Airport to put the luggage in the hold because it was so heavy. Each suitcase had a thin layer of clothing above the vacuum-packed cannabis, and eight contained Apple AirTag trackers. NCA investigators identified that these trackers were connected to the same Apple ID account.

Border Force's suspicions were raised when they established that four different passengers had traveled from Birmingham to Charles de Gaulle on the same day, 9 August. One courier received a message that said: "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."

Legal proceedings

The convictions were secured over several months. Kyei and Vitorino were convicted on 26 May following a three-week trial, while Crisp, Nelson, and Ramen were convicted on Wednesday 19 August following a four-week trial. Ross and Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during the trial, and McCullough, Boachie, Olumoyegun, and Clarke pleaded guilty at earlier hearings. Those convicted on 19 August are scheduled to be sentenced on 22 October, while the others will be sentenced on 3 September.

Officials warn of consequences

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." Adam Chatfield, Head of Border Force Midlands Command, stated: "These convictions should be a stark warning to anyone considering bringing cannabis into the UK." Victoria Norman, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "Working with investigators, prosecutors pieced together a picture of a highly coordinated effort to smuggle industrial quantities of drugs into the country."

Rising smuggling trend

The case comes amid a significant rise in cannabis smuggling at UK airports. According to figures cited by the Crown Prosecution Service, 801 cannabis smugglers were caught in 2024, a 464% increase compared to 2023. In 2025, the number rose to 976, and from January to June 2026, a further 600 air passenger couriers were arrested. The NCA has launched a social media campaign on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube warning young people about the risks of smuggling cannabis, following a new fine regime announced by the Thai government.