Thailand has emerged as the main source of cannabis being smuggled into the UK, according to a BBC investigation that found organised crime groups are exploiting the country’s relaxed cultivation laws to supply the British black market. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said four out of five cannabis seizures at UK airports now originate from Thailand, with traffickers making substantial profits despite many drug couriers being arrested.

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The investigation found that cannabis grown in Thailand is being packaged and marketed as premium “Cali weed”, imitating high-potency strains associated with licensed dispensaries in California. British traffickers are reportedly using Thai-grown cannabis because production costs are significantly lower while the product can still be sold in the UK at premium prices.

One British dealer, identified only as “Zee”, told the BBC he operates cannabis farms in Thailand using Vietnamese workers and smuggles the drug into Manchester, Liverpool and parts of Yorkshire. He claimed it costs him about GBP350 to produce one kilogram of cannabis, while UK buyers pay up to GBP3,500 per kilogram.

According to Zee, couriers are recruited with promises of holidays, cash and entertainment before being asked to carry around 20kg of cannabis in each suitcase on return flights to Britain. He claimed that even if nine out of ten couriers are caught, the operation remains profitable. The NCA’s threat lead for border vulnerabilities, Paul Pantry, said such profit margins appeared realistic and described the organised crime groups behind the trade as “brazen and ruthless”.

Home Office figures obtained by the BBC show Border Force officers seized more than 167,000kg of herbal cannabis during the past year, with an estimated street value exceeding GBP2 billion. The total represented a 52% increase from 2024 and included 28 tonnes carried by around 800 couriers arrested by the NCA.

The investigation said traffickers are also using postal deliveries and commercial shipping to move cannabis into the UK after increased airport security made air smuggling more difficult. Cannabis is then repackaged into glossy branded packets bearing names such as Gelato, Cali Cookies and Runtz before being sold through social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps.

Thailand legalised cannabis in 2022, leading to rapid growth in cultivation and retail sales. Authorities later introduced measures restricting cannabis use to medical purposes and requiring prescriptions, while banning recreational use. However, the BBC reported that British criminal networks continue to exploit production in Thailand by operating outside the licensed system.

Health experts have also expressed concern over the increasing strength of cannabis reaching UK consumers. Psychiatrist Dr Marta di Forti, who led the UK’s largest study on cannabis and psychosis, warned that products containing THC levels above 20%, and in some concentrates up to 90%, are linked to an increased risk of serious mental health problems, including psychosis.

The BBC reported that the UK government described the BBC’s findings as concerning and said it was continuing to work closely with police forces and overseas partners to prevent illegal drugs reaching Britain.

Pictures courtesy of BBC

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9 July 2026

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A new hub is born..The cannabis industry is out of control since the beginning as a lack of good regulations and enforcements.

They should have contacted the Netherlands to ask how they do it, as there cannabis is legal and controlled and not same problems as here in Thailand

I'm sure there are certain people who have made a lot of money from the relaxed marijuana laws. But when you ask why tourism is falling, why trash is visiting more and more ... you have one of your answers.

Nothing new about Thai cannabis being smuggled into the UK.

3 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

A new hub is born..The cannabis industry is out of control since the beginning as a lack of good regulations and enforcements.

They should have contacted the Netherlands to ask how they do it, as there cannabis is legal and controlled and not same problems as here in Thailand

they should have never legalized it, because there is no control in Thailand. Children can buy weed on the market and they sell it in schools, my daughter told me it's easier to get weed than cigarettes or alcohol.

Thailand encouraged the use and sales of cannabis which has encouraged plenty of tourists and people of ill repute to come to Thailand and exploit the use and illegal sales back to their country to make money on the backs of others who are paid to smuggle it back and if caught suffer the consequences of jail ect

Off topic troll post removed @rocketboy2

Rule 10. You will not post troll messages. Trolling is the act of purposefully antagonizing forum members by posting controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary intent of provoking other members into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

Why are they smuggling it to the UK from Thailand? Is there no weed in the UK? Spain supplies, no? Hash from N. Africa?

25 minutes ago, Ray60 said:

they should have never legalized it, because there is no control in Thailand. Children can buy weed on the market and they sell it in schools, my daughter told me it's easier to get weed than cigarettes or alcohol.

It has never been legal for children to "buy cannabis on the market" or anywhere else, The law clearly states over 20 years old only.

Cannabis is less harmful than cigarettes or alcohol ( which are also age restricted) it's not more or new laws that are required , just the enforcement of existing laws.

It is never going to be difficult for kids to get either cigarettes or alcohol if they wish , same goes for cannabis, education and good parenting is the key

1 hour ago, DonniePeverley said:

I'm sure there are certain people who have made a lot of money from the relaxed marijuana laws.

Well that was the reason for the relaxation of the laws in the first place,? So its good to see it was a success, Don't you like people making money?

I have seen no evidence of cannabis having negative effects on tourism, other than the constant moaning of a few on here who ""don't like the smell" Personally I suspect the war in Iran and the increase in prices due to that, coupled with cost of living problems in general and struggling economies might have more influence on tourist numbers than the smell of weed

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

A new hub is born..The cannabis industry is out of control since the beginning as a lack of good regulations and enforcements.

They should have contacted the Netherlands to ask how they do it, as there cannabis is legal and controlled and not same problems as here in Thailand

cannabis is not legal in the Netherlands

5 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

cannabis is not legal in the Netherlands

decriminalized and purchases up to 5gm are allowed at licenced coffee shops.

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

cannabis is not legal in the Netherlands

it is in coffeeshops available, but government controlled....and for own use no problem. Never been there I suppose as you would know

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

decriminalized and purchases up to 5gm are allowed at licenced coffee shops.

Absolutely correct. Ref. Google:

Cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands but is decriminalized and tolerated for personal use under the country's specific policy. Adults 18 and older can purchase and possess up to 5 grams without prosecution, and consumption is permitted at licensed coffeeshops. [1, 2, 3]

However, commercial production, large-scale supply, and transporting cannabis remain illegal, creating a complex legal gray area. To address this contradiction, the Dutch government is currently running a Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment in select cities to test a fully regulated supply chain.

How stupid would you have to be to put 20kg of dope in your luggage?

30 minutes ago, Brettoj said:

How stupid would you have to be to put 20kg of dope in your luggage?

I know right.

With restricted luggage allowances that leaves little room for clothes and holiday trinkets.

54 minutes ago, Brettoj said:

How stupid would you have to be to put 20kg of dope in your luggage?

Especially the aromatic green variety, Mine generally arrives here courtesy of "kerry" or "SPX" it's always vacuum packed, and its always well wrapped in that annoying brown sellotape,stuff but one does not need the nose of a bloodhound to tell what's inside, and that's normally only about 50 or 100 g

Some drug mules are indeed just plain stupid and are persuaded by the promise of easy cash. others Others have often accrued substantial debts, normally due to a dependance on either Heroin or Crack. This is one way, they can wipe their slate clean , the consequences of not paying ones debts, can be far more severe than getting caught with a bit of weed at customs

2 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Absolutely correct. Ref. Google:

Cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands but is decriminalized and tolerated for personal use under the country's specific policy. Adults 18 and older can purchase and possess up to 5 grams without prosecution, and consumption is permitted at licensed coffeeshops. [1, 2, 3]

However, commercial production, large-scale supply, and transporting cannabis remain illegal, creating a complex legal gray area. To address this contradiction, the Dutch government is currently running a Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment in select cities to test a fully regulated supply chain.

As I said it is illegal. I just chose not to go into such detail, you forgot to mention, that amounts of less than 5 grams may still be confiscated by the police even if no prosecution takes place, the same applies to plants up to 5 may still be confiscated but will not normally result in prosecution

4 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Why are they smuggling it to the UK from Thailand? Is there no weed in the UK? Spain supplies, no? Hash from N. Africa?

Hash from North Africa was the most commonly available weed in the UK 40 years ago, thankfully those days are in the dim and distant past, I doubt they could give that stuff away for free these days Some of the weed available here is not much better, I doubt anybody selling it as "cali weed " will get many repeat customers, and they would soon become "unpopular" within the community

6 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Why are they smuggling it to the UK from Thailand? Is there no weed in the UK? Spain supplies, no? Hash from N. Africa?

Good point.

In my opinion, it could be cost related. As far as I know from Switzerland, currently, Thai medicinal cannabis is currently available in pharmacies at lower prices compared to other strains..

The price per gram is also chepaer than the black market prizes of cannabis, where origin of cannabis is often unclear, and THC levels can vary and may not always be accurate.

It seems, that importing cannabis from Thailand to the UK crosses less middle men than other imports through Spain, North Africa and other countries, so the margins are lower.

11 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

A new hub is born..The cannabis industry is out of control since the beginning as a lack of good regulations and enforcements.

They should have contacted the Netherlands to ask how they do it, as there cannabis is legal and controlled and not same problems as here in Thailand

The only reason ganja export is not a problem to Netherlands is that Dutch smugglers move it from producers in second countries to distributor in third countries. The major indoor cannabis farms in Holland are primarily for domestic consumption.

4 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Absolutely correct. Ref. Google:

Cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands but is decriminalized and tolerated for personal use under the country's specific policy. Adults 18 and older can purchase and possess up to 5 grams without prosecution, and consumption is permitted at licensed coffeeshops. [1, 2, 3]

However, commercial production, large-scale supply, and transporting cannabis remain illegal, creating a complex legal gray area. To address this contradiction, the Dutch government is currently running a Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment in select cities to test a fully regulated supply chain.

Every sort of cannabis product is imported from many countries, hash, for example.

Locals have weed growing in rural areas ... if they want this.

The legalisation was to target tourism, visitors.

Because there has been no stricct enforcement of public smoking, and it appears airport security is not monitoring closely marijuana being smuggled out - the reputation damage has been immense.

9 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Why are they smuggling it to the UK from Thailand? Is there no weed in the UK? Spain supplies, no? Hash from N. Africa?

9 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Why are they smuggling it to the UK from Thailand? Is there no weed in the UK? Spain supplies, no? Hash from N. Africa?

What is reported is only what has been seized in airports, which is quite a stupid way to smuggle cannabis.

For example, plenty of good quality weed is grown in Spain, and it's much safer to smuggle it by road and by boat than in overscrutinized air travel luggage.

11 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Why are they smuggling it to the UK from Thailand? Is there no weed in the UK? Spain supplies, no? Hash from N. Africa?

Home grown in houses set up as cannabis farms.

Sounds like the UK needs to step up their customs inspections for people arriving from Thailand.

They will need to check more intensively all those Brit UK teen drug mules, on departure from Thailand.

22 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Nothing new about Thai cannabis being smuggled into the UK.

Other than a good bit more of it is coming from Thailand

12 hours ago, candide said:

What is reported is only what has been seized in airports, which is quite a stupid way to smuggle cannabis.

For example, plenty of good quality weed is grown in Spain, and it's much safer to smuggle it by road and by boat than in overscrutinized air travel luggage.

Actually its not stupid. Shipping cannabis by boat is stupid. By road i can agreee with you. If done correctly. By air is the best method for the actual product. Cannabis is far different than most drugs in the sense that quality loss can happen very quickly in these kinds of scenarios.

One man at either end. Someone at the scanner. knowledge of dog schedules and or rounds.

Large international players have been making it look easy for decades. Even now with the tech.

As you said this is only whats been caught. Im willing to bet the amount that gets through would shock people

@ChipButty

Just yesterday I mentioned this was a staggering amount 😁

On 7/8/2026 at 4:58 PM, Georgealbert said:

He claimed it costs him about GBP350 to produce one kilogram of cannabis, while UK buyers pay up to GBP3,500 per kilogram.

I also said this yesterday about Europe. Wasn't sure if you could still fetch those kinds of prices in UK.

350gbp to produce it legit sure. Far less is happening though. The Vietnamese and Chinese would steal the electricity......

Drastically reducing production costs.