Nearly 1,000 British drug couriers were arrested at UK airports last year while allegedly bringing cannabis in from overseas, with the overwhelming majority arriving from Thailand, police figures show.

The 976 arrests marked a sevenfold increase from 142 in 2023. In the six months to June this year, 600 suspected couriers had already been arrested.

For foreigners in Thailand, the figures underline an important distinction in the country's cannabis rules: cannabis cultivation has been legal since its decriminalisation in 2022, but taking cannabis out of Thailand without clearance remains illegal. Travellers should not assume products openly sold in Thailand can be legally carried abroad.

Gangs offer Thailand trips through social media

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says organised crime groups are recruiting would-be couriers through platforms including Snapchat and TikTok. They advertise week-long Thailand holidays, offering flights, hotels and spending money in exchange for what is presented as a small favour.

Couriers may then be pressured, including through threats of violence, to carry cannabis back in their luggage. They can be offered up to GBP5,000 on their return to Britain, according to the NCA.

Paul Pantry, the NCA's head of border vulnerabilities, said: "The couriers have no control over how they fly back.

"They are in the hands of these ruthless criminals who enforce everything with violence. Once they are in, there's no backing out.

"Organised crime groups will not care about couriers. They will leave them high and dry. They are entering a murky, violent world."

The NCA recently launched a Bangkok campaign warning British visitors about the risks. Drug smuggling can lead to up to 14 years in prison in the UK, while countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia can impose longer sentences or even the death penalty.

Thailand's lower prices drive the trade

Cannabis farming became legal in Thailand after decriminalisation in 2022, helping to lower prices. But the growth in availability has also been linked to a sharp rise in attempts to export it illegally.

One kilogram of cannabis brought from Thailand has an estimated UK street value of GBP10,000. The average courier carries about 25kg, giving a typical seizure an estimated value of GBP250,000.

Some suspected couriers are intercepted during transit, including at airports in Turkey, Georgia and Sri Lanka.

Mr Pantry said that although some recruits have criminal backgrounds, a significant number see themselves as "influencer-types", drawn by the appearance of a glamorous, shareable overseas lifestyle.

Recent cases involving Thailand flights

Amy Durban, 45, of Cullompton, Devon, pleaded guilty on Thursday after being caught at Heathrow with more than GBP500,000 worth of cannabis from Thailand in her suitcase. She will be sentenced in October.

Influencer Ellie Crampsie, 23, from Glasgow, was arrested at Edinburgh Airport last year after arriving from Thailand with 17kg of cannabis valued at GBP150,000. She was jailed for 16 months in April.

Pregnant teenager Bella Culley, 19, from Billingham, Teesside, was caught at Tbilisi airport in Georgia last year with cannabis from Thailand. She had faced 20 years in prison but was released after five months under a plea bargain.

Charlotte Lee May, 21, from south London, was arrested in Sri Lanka in May last year with 46kg of cannabis from Thailand and is facing 20 years in jail.

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Join the discussion?

10 August 2026

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How is so much getting past Thai aiport x-rays ?

It's not just the UK, but other countries also have had this issue with Thailand marijuana.

There can be no such thing as tipping another country off before anyone starts.

The sheer volume of Benidorm types in Thailand ... you know why they're here.

1 hour ago, DonniePeverley said:

How is so much getting past Thai aiport x-rays ?

It's not just the UK, but other countries also have had this issue with Thailand marijuana.

There can be no such thing as tipping another country off before anyone starts.

The sheer volume of Benidorm types in Thailand ... you know why they're here.

Because up until now they have not been looking for weed for travelers on the way out. . Moreso probably power banks, explosives and weapons... That appears to have been changing lately though, sniffer dogs should make easy work of finding a 50kg package of weed in a suitcase.

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Because up until now they have not been looking for weed for travelers on the way out. . Moreso probably power banks, explosives and weapons... That appears to have been changing lately though, sniffer dogs should make easy work of finding a 50kg package of weed in a suitcase.

Correct.

Exporting cannabis from Thailand is illegal. Many couriers have been slipping through because the main outbound scanners focus on explosives rather than drugs, but the risk of being caught either in Thailand or on arrival in the UK is now significantly higher.

4 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

How is so much getting past Thai aiport x-rays ?

It's not just the UK, but other countries also have had this issue with Thailand marijuana.

There can be no such thing as tipping another country off before anyone starts.

The sheer volume of Benidorm types in Thailand ... you know why they're here.

Please explain what what a bonnydorm type is . .thank you.

Check in luggage passes through xrays that have set parameters. If anything in that case in this situation is plant material and is not outside the parameters so therefore the xray does not alert and send an image to a control room where an operator views images that do.

As stated previously the xrays are set up to look for metal objects, explosives, electronics.

5 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

How is so much getting past Thai aiport x-rays ?

How thick is your brown envelope? ☻👣

1 hour ago, wavodavo said:

Please explain what what a bonnydorm type is . .thank you.

I'm guessing you haven't seen much news about Phuket lately?

I have a few bags I need taken to the UK....You will be paid very well. But you can't look inside the bags....lol...It's all on the up and up.....lol

These couriers are either desperate or stupid. I still believe Thailand lets most of the ones seen get through and notifies the country that the people are flying to. Less paperwork and usually harder sentences than Thailand has. It could also be a case of they’re leaving so F it.

11 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says organised crime groups are recruiting would-be couriers through platforms including Snapchat and TikTok. They advertise week-long Thailand holidays, offering flights, hotels and spending money in exchange for what is presented as a small favour.

I can't believe too many people are stupid enough to risk everything for a weeks holiday, but i'm sure there are some.

The possibility of large profits are more likely.

My last purchase of smoke in Thailand was 50g of Lemon Haze and 50g of Durban Poison, together they cost me 1,300 Baht, £31. Bulk buys must be a lot cheaper.

100g - 3 1/2 ounces in the UK would cost me £160 an ounce - £560.

I'm guessing that the massive profits is what attracts people to risk their freedom for smuggling weed.

12 hours ago, jcmj said:

These couriers are either desperate or stupid. I still believe Thailand lets most of the ones seen get through and notifies the country that the people are flying to. Less paperwork and usually harder sentences than Thailand has. It could also be a case of they’re leaving so F it.

It doesn't do this at all. I've had my suitcases searched in Amsterdam, had a good long chat with them and they simply would not have the network to do this. Furthermore, it costs the host country a fair bit of money to carry out the criminal process.

Off topic troll post about UK immigration removed @Mickboy 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.