Dramatic video shows arrest of cannabis smugglers - with cannabis seized this year three times more than 2023

Dramatic video shows the moment National Crime Agency (NCA) officers arrest cannabis smugglers - with the amount of cannabis seized at UK airports this year three times more than in the whole of 2023.

The NCA has warned travellers arriving in the UK from Thailand, Canada and the United States that they face prison sentences if they’re caught attempting to bring cannabis into the country.

So far this year, 378 people have been arrested in connection with investigations into cannabis smuggling by air passengers. An estimated 15 tonnes of cannabis was detected and seized at UK airports in the same period – already around three times more than in the whole of 2023 when approximately 5 tonnes of cannabis was seized and 136 people were arrested. More than half of those arrested in 2023 (71) had flown in from US airports, 24 from Thailand and 24 from Canada.

On August 9, 11 British passengers were arrested at Birmingham Airport after a total of 510 kilos of cannabis was found inside 28 suitcases. The passengers had travelled from Thailand, transiting at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. They have been bailed until November 9 pending further NCA investigation. Their cases are believed to be linked.

James Babbage, NCA Director General of Threats, said: “We would appeal to anyone who is approached to engage in smuggling to think very carefully about the potential consequences of their actions, and the risks they will run. We know organised criminals can be persuasive, and offer to pay couriers. But the risks of getting caught are high, and it just isn’t worth that risk.”