UK Embassy Warns Tourists from Thailand, Canada, and the US: Smuggling Cannabis into the UK is Punishable by Imprisonment
The British Embassy in Thailand has released a statement from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), warning tourists traveling from Thailand, Canada, and the United States that smuggling cannabis into the United Kingdom carries a prison sentence. This comes in response to a significant increase in cannabis smuggling from these three countries.
In 2024, UK authorities arrested 378 individuals attempting to smuggle cannabis via commercial flights and seized a total of 15 tonnes of cannabis — triple the amount seized in 2023, which saw 5 tonnes confiscated and 136 people arrested. This also marks a dramatic rise from 2022, when only 2 tonnes were seized.
Last year alone, there were 71 cannabis smuggling cases from US airports, 24 from Thailand, and 24 from Canada.
In 2024 so far, over half of the arrests have been linked to cannabis smuggled from Thailand, totaling 184 cases, followed by 75 from Canada and 47 from the United States.