Polish man sentenced for trafficking £100k of cannabis into UK

[webfact]

Picture of Arkadiusz Golab courtesy of Newcastle Evening Chronicle

 

by Bob Scott

A young Polish man in the United Kingdom was sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution after pleading guilty to trafficking almost £100,000 (4.3 million baht) of cannabis into Newcastle International Airport in the North-East of England. He claimed he was coerced into the illicit operation by a threatening organised crime syndicate.

 

On August 30, Border Force officials at Newcastle Airport became suspicious of Arkadiusz Golab, as he touched down on a flight from Dubai.

 

A thorough search of the 20 year old man’s luggage unveiled 40 hefty packages of cannabis, tipping the scales at 23.6 kilos with a market value of £94,000.

 

During proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, prosecutor Neil Pallister made known that Golab journeyed from Manchester to Thailand, allegedly on orders from a crime network tasked with the retrieval of a mysterious package.

 

Given a mobile phone and flight papers, he was instructed to buy a Thai SIM card, hop into a taxi, and head to a specified hotel in bustling Bangkok.

At this hotel, Golab crossed paths with three individuals he believed were tied to the criminal enterprise. Several other men were also allegedly in on the gig, each receiving £100 (4,300 baht) daily to ferry packages back to the UK, said Pallister.

 

Picture of Arkadiusz Golab courtesy of Newcastle Evening Chronicle

“The defendant confessed he was approached multiple times to travel to Thailand for a pickup. Initially, he refused but eventually gave in.

 

“Just before departure, another phone and return flight details were handed to him. At the airport, a crime syndicate member presented him with a loaded suitcase, instructing him to retrieve it upon arrival in Newcastle.”

 

Upon his capture, Golab admitted he was promised £2,000 for successfully delivering the contraband to UK-based criminals. The young man from Gunby Road, Scunthorpe, pleaded guilty to evading restrictions on cannabis importation and was sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution.

 

Kelly Clarke, his defence lawyer, painted Golab as a pawn in the crime syndicate’s game.

 

“The defendant has asserted from the get-go he was pressured into this, it was far from voluntary. They were monitoring his family and issuing threats, hence his compliance.

 

“Hoping it would be a one-time ordeal and eager to be left alone, he carried out the instructions. With no prior convictions and abstaining from drug use, he’s expressed deep regret over falling in with the wrong crowd. The defendant remains remorseful for becoming ensnared in the nefarious plot.”

 

-- 2024-12-19

 

 

[Rolo89]

He should be deported back to Poland and banned from the UK. Doubt he's ever paid any tax and has used a fortune in tax payers money.

[Antti]

Didn't a Polish Insta girl just get let off the hook for trying to smuggle much more cannabis into the UK? 

[PJ71]

1 hour ago, Rolo89 said:

He should be deported back to Poland and banned from the UK. Doubt he's ever paid any tax and has used a fortune in tax payers money.

What has paying tax got to do with smuggling weed?

 

 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Kelly Clarke, his defence lawyer, painted Golab as a pawn in the crime syndicate’s game.

A willing pawn, he could have gone to the police/customs and stated all this before the trip.

Whether they wanted to let him continue the journey and liaise with Thai authorities with a tip-off or just cancel the trip.