Amy Jayne Durban, 45, has admitted smuggling 51.2kg of cannabis, valued at GBP512,000 on the street, into Britain after flying from Bangkok to Heathrow Airport.

Border Force officers arrested Durban, from Hemyock, Cullompton, Devon, on 6 July after finding the Class B drug packed into two suitcases. She was remanded in custody after pleading guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Thursday 6 August and is due to be sentenced on 14 October.

In a Facebook post days before her arrest, Durban wrote: "On her way home to cut the grass if you know what I mean. No ETA so you won't know I'm about to hit your lawn."

Court hears of alleged courier role

The National Crime Agency (NCA) had been investigating Durban at the time of her arrest. Prosecutor James O'Connell told the court she had also travelled to Thailand in May, although there was currently no evidence that she smuggled drugs on that trip.

Her phone has been sent for forensic downloading and examination, but remains in a queue, the court heard. Durban was living with her partner at a remote address in Hemyock at the time; the couple own vape stores and her partner attended the hearing.

Mr O'Connell opposed bail, citing a risk of further offending. He said Durban's brother had been arrested by a West Country police force in connection with cannabis possession after a warrant was executed at his home.

Defence lawyer Alexander Shanks said Durban would submit a basis of plea arguing she had been pressured and coerced into taking part, and was naive and immature. The prosecution said it would not accept that account without evidence of coercion.

Mr O'Connell said Durban was "definitely a courier" who had been motivated by significant financial reward and hospitality. The court heard she had one previous conviction, for battery in 2000, when she received an 18-month probation order.

Judge Karen Holt rejected bail despite Mr Shanks saying Durban was struggling with significant mental health problems at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey. The judge said the quantity involved made this "an extremely serious case", with a possible starting point of four years in prison.

Warning for Thailand-based travellers

The case is a reminder for foreigners in Thailand, including visitors and residents returning to Britain, that cannabis may be widely visible in Thailand but taking it across an international border remains a serious criminal offence.

The NCA says organised crime groups approach potential drug couriers through social media, offering a free holiday and spending money in return for carrying cannabis to the UK.

It reported 142 cannabis smugglers were caught arriving by plane in 2023, rising to 801 in 2024 - a 464 per cent increase - and 976 in 2025. A further 600 alleged mules were arrested at UK airports in the first six months of this year, putting 2026 on course to be worse.

Following a new NCA crackdown with Thai authorities, suspected smugglers caught in Thailand can face fines equivalent to GBP680 per kilogram. The NCA said an average mule is caught with 26kg, potentially attracting a fine, or a two-year Thai prison sentence if it is not paid.

Pictures courtesy of The Daily Mall

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8 August 2026

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How can that pass the security checks at the airport??? 2 suitcases 51 kg .. is already very heavy luggage and nothing more in it than cannabis??? Besides that how is it possible to buy such amounts of cannabis in Thailand?? The dealers should be sought too. It is surely damaging the image of Thailand as a "first class" holiday destination. No wonder more and more tourists stay away

32 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

How can that pass the security checks at the airport??? 2 suitcases 51 kg .. is already very heavy luggage and nothing more in it than cannabis??? Besides that how is it possible to buy such amounts of cannabis in Thailand?? The dealers should be sought too. It is surely damaging the image of Thailand as a "first class" holiday destination. No wonder more and more tourists stay away

Get real... they transport Ya Bah in half ton amounts here in LOS. It is becoming a regular shipping transit point. I never had my bag checked leaving Thailand that I knew of, but I believe that has now started.

I expect the liberalization wrt Cannabis we had a few years ago affected the interest of a different type of tourist, There is good money in a suitcase of weed to be sold in Europe!

She looks a bit rougher in the the mug shot than the swimming pool photo!

I guess Thailand’s security is very lax and we know this by all of the countries finding it easily on passengers from Thailand and other countries. She would have been lucky to be caught here. Pay the fine and be done with it, or spend a couple years in jail. She’s got it far worse now. Maybe that’s why they let them through. First less paperwork for a silly fine or small jail time. Let the receiving country deal with that, but they again they lose their picture in the papers and media.

Like everything else they are trying to enforce, unfortunately they don’t have the people or the enforcement. You get what you pay for. At least she had a nice holiday.

What a wonderful purposeful life that skank and its partner lead

Supplying popcorn lung to the younger generations coming up or dope for those who seem to have missed the point of life completely .

52 kg is hardly for personal use , albeit in the creatures defence by the look of the second photo it possibly could have been.

Let’s hope a proper judge isn’t swayed by any of that bullcrap about being coerced into doing it and bangs it up for a meaningful sentence with no early release

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Following a new NCA crackdown with Thai authorities, suspected smugglers caught in Thailand can face fines equivalent to GBP680 per kilogram. The NCA said an average mule is caught with 26kg, potentially attracting a fine, or a two-year Thai prison sentence if it is not paid.

So only a fine if caught in Thailand? Is that what is meant? Albeit a fairly large fine - 35,000 pounds. But with a street value of half-a-million quid, there is incentive I guess. I wonder why they are so lenient? What else is 'class B drugs'? In the UK (where she was caught she could face 4 years in prison it says).

Edited August 8Aug 8 by ronnie50

A disguised profane post has been removed

36 minutes ago, Easterneye said:

What a wonderful purposeful life that skank and its partner lead

Supplying popcorn lung to the younger generations coming up or dope for those who seem to have missed the point of life completely .

52 kg is hardly for personal use , albeit in the creatures defence by the look of the second photo it possibly could have been.

Let’s hope a proper judge isn’t swayed by any of that bullcrap about being coerced into doing it and bangs it up for a meaningful sentence with no early release

Indeed- and the Facebook post attributed to her was hardly subtle was it?

2 hours ago, PomPolo said:

She looks a bit rougher in the the mug shot than the swimming pool photo!

She!!! Opps sorry I thought 'He', paying for 'op' like.

If them is naive and immature at 45, then at 71 I must be unaware.

Mugs,

Both Thailand and the UK need to send out a strong message crime does not pay

Good the UK are doing their bit catching those bringing it in to the UK

Thailand needs to get the people selling it to them as well jail sentences required

"Following a new NCA crackdown with Thai authorities, suspected smugglers caught in Thailand can face fines equivalent to GBP680 per kilogram. The NCA said an average mule is caught with 26kg, potentially attracting a fine, or a two-year Thai prison sentence if it is not paid."

You learning something every day. I wasn't aware that you can avoid prison time for smuggling drugs if you paid a fine. So she was carrying 51.2kg which was just under twice the average of 26 kg.

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Get real... they transport Ya Bah in half ton amounts here in LOS. It is becoming a regular shipping transit point. I never had my bag checked leaving Thailand that I knew of, but I believe that has now started.

I expect the liberalization wrt Cannabis we had a few years ago affected the interest of a different type of tourist, There is good money in a suitcase of weed to be sold in Europe!

Every suitcase goes through x-ray! They should have definitely caught that, unless someone turned a blind eye or didn't pay attention.

"Defence lawyer Alexander Shanks said Durban would submit a basis of plea arguing she had been pressured and coerced into taking part, and was naive and immature."

You gotta be putting me on! The woman is 45 years old. This is certainly not her first rodeo.

8 minutes ago, riverhigh said:

"Following a new NCA crackdown with Thai authorities, suspected smugglers caught in Thailand can face fines equivalent to GBP680 per kilogram. The NCA said an average mule is caught with 26kg, potentially attracting a fine, or a two-year Thai prison sentence if it is not paid."

You learning something every day. I wasn't aware that you can avoid prison time for smuggling drugs if you paid a fine. So she was carrying 51.2kg which was just under twice the average of 26 kg.

The legal status of Cannabis at the moment is"a controlled herb" so hardly a drug as you named it. It is still a drug in the sense of all drugs,like coffee or cigarettes but definately not as dangerous a Yaba which is available all over Thailand and is even cheaper than Cannabis.

It's only a bit of weed, she'll plea it's personal - lol.

2 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

So only a fine if caught in Thailand? Is that what is meant? Albeit a fairly large fine - 35,000 pounds. But with a street value of half-a-million quid, there is incentive I guess. I wonder why they are so lenient? What else is 'class B drugs'? In the UK (where she was caught she could face 4 years in prison it says).

Thailand has implemented a new customs policy formally classifying cannabis buds as a fineable offense under Section 244 of the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017), replacing the previous practice of confiscation without charge.  

Effective June 17, 2026, individuals importing, exporting, or attempting to evade restrictions on cannabis may face penalties of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 500,000 baht, or both. 

https://th.usembassy.gov/alert-u-s-embassy-july-8-2026-thailand-customs-policy-update/

Thai govt has obviously gone overboard because it thinks about its reputation with the well-heeled. I got news: a lot of the well-heeled smoke da kine these days rather than drink.

This woman is a Brit. It is unlikely they'll just have a laugh like the Thai woman going to Japan.

But, fer Crikey's, it's just smoking dope, dope that's been used to get high for millennia, that grows anywhere on fertile ground! Get over it!

2 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Every suitcase goes through x-ray!

Are you sure about that?

I thought a random selection, or where there's reason for suspicion of a particular traveller.

I understand that all luggage might be scanned for explosives of course - this from USA https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/factsheets/technology

Will someone tell me why "Critical Thinking" seems to be non-existent today?

They could sell that weed and use the proceeds for the NHS. Just saying.

7 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Will someone tell me why "Critical Thinking" seems to be non-existent today?

It goes along with "common sense" - not very common at all.☹️

5 hours ago, PomPolo said:

She looks a bit rougher in the the mug shot than the swimming pool photo!

She appears to have suffered a stroke with the left side of her face characteristically 'drooped'.

Sad and brutal looking woman.

5 hours ago, jcmj said:

I guess Thailand’s security is very lax and we know this by all of the countries finding it easily on passengers from Thailand and other countries. She would have been lucky to be caught here. Pay the fine and be done with it, or spend a couple years in jail. She’s got it far worse now. Maybe that’s why they let them through. First less paperwork for a silly fine or small jail time. Let the receiving country deal with that, but they again they lose their picture in the papers and media.

Like everything else they are trying to enforce, unfortunately they don’t have the people or the enforcement. You get what you pay for. At least she had a nice holiday.

Maybe Thai authorities notify UK authorities upon detection so that they can apprehend not only the courier but also their handler if any…the ball is in the UK court to address any way they see fit.

With Britain's early prisoner release scheme, she's be out next week. 🙂

4 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Every suitcase goes through x-ray! They should have definitely caught that, unless someone turned a blind eye or didn't pay attention.

Let's be realistic, these detectors are operated by human beings. They see thousands of suitcases pass through every day. Coffee breaks, trips to the restroom, fiddling with cell phones, chatting, dozing off, and so on mean that these checks are far from infallible.

4 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Every suitcase goes through x-ray! They should have definitely caught that, unless someone turned a blind eye or didn't pay attention.

She was being investigated by the UK police the time who were working together with the Thai police as reported in the OP.

Edited August 8Aug 8 by Liverpool Lou

Thailand and drugs hitting the headlines again. No wonder so many low lifes are choosing to holiday in Thailand these days. Such a shame

1 hour ago, Taboo2 said:

Will someone tell me why "Critical Thinking" seems to be non-existent today?

Try thinking critically and perhaps you will have your answer.

1 hour ago, Taboo2 said:

They could sell that weed and use the proceeds for the NHS. Just saying.

I think that would be illegal. Why does critical thinking seem to be non-existent today?