Brit couple charged on suspicion of importing £1m of cannabis from Thailand after returning from holiday in Bangkok
A COUPLE have been charged with smuggling £1million of cannabis from Thailand.
Sian Warren, 34, and Daniel McDonald, 36, were stopped when they returned to Heathrow.
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Sian Warren and Daniel McDonald's dream trip to Bangkok ended with the pair being detained after £1m of cannabis was found in their suitcases
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Daniel, pictured, and Sian were charged with importing Class B drugs
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Sian's dad has insisted that she is innocent of the charges - and only had clothes in her suitcase
National Crime Agency officers found four cases packed with more than 51kg of cannabis.
The pair were charged with importing Class B drugs and appeared the following day at Uxbridge magistrates'
court
.
They have been bailed under curfew ahead of a plea hearing on June 26 at Isleworth crown court.
The couple left Salford for a dream holiday to Bangkok last month.
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Sian works as an administrator for Daniel's dad's building
business
.
Her dad, Tony, said: 'Sian's not brought anything back, definitely not.
'She had her own suitcase with clothes in it.'
The couple are the latest Brits to be arrested on suspicion of trying to import cannabis from Thailand into either Europe or the UK.
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Most read in The Sun
And
Brit tourist, 18, reported missing for days in Thailand is arrested on 'drug offences' in Georgia 4,000 miles away
However, it was later revealed that the teen, from Billingham, County
Durham
,
She was allegedly carrying 30 pounds (14kg) of cannabis into the ex-Soviet nation.
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Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Madeleine McCann police make wild discovery buried in ground in latest search
Tonight it was reported that police working on the Madeleine McCann case found two guns buried underground during last week's searches in Portugal. Clothing and animal bones were also found. The items will now be sent back to Germany where they will undergo forensic analysis. It follows fresh claims about prime suspect Christian Brueckner, with a new documentary claiming images of children's swimming costumes, guns, a mask and toddler's toys were found at a property linked to the convicted paedophile. Follow our liveblog for updates on the Madeleine McCann case below... Last year, Brueckner was acquitted of carrying out five other sexual offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017 after a judge in Braunschweig said there was not enough evidence to convict him. But German investigators - determined to keep the dangerous Brueckner behind bars - have continued to build a case against him regarding Madeleine McCann. In May this year, he returned to court on charges of insulting a public official. Despite prosecutors urging for an extended sentence, he was only given probation with a minimum of one additional month in prison. Before one of his court appearances, the Mirror asked him if he knew what had happened to Madeleine McCann. He responded with a smirk. While investigators have been tight-lipped about what information they have linking him to Madeleine, some details have made their way into the public domain. According to a documentary by The Sun, suspicious items found in a German warehouse bought by Brueckner a year after Madeleine's disappearance included guns, 75 girl's swimming costumes, and a car with chemicals hidden in the boot. Remains of a dead dog were uncovered along with a hard-drive, as well as a number of child kidnap stories believed to have been penned by the paedophile. A former inmate in the same prison as Brueckner has also alleged that he once told him about a number of offences he had committed, including reportedly snatching a girl from a flat in Portugal. Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner is at the centre of a desperate race against time to find new evidence in the Madeleine McCann case. Police are looking into his time In Portugal where he lived a nomadic lifestyle in a VW camper van and stole from hotels and holiday flats to support himself financially. He spent time in the Praia de Luz area of Portugal between 2000 and 2017. His home was just one mile away from the Ocean Club, where the McCann family were staying when Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007. In 2005, he raped a 72-year-old American woman, an offence for which he was jailed 14 years later Years later, investigators reportedly found his mobile phone had received a call close to the holiday flat complex around one hour before the three-year-old was reported missing. Olive Press reports the guns, bones and clothing reportedly found during the latest round of Madeleine McCann searches will now be sent off for forensic analysis. While the bones are said to be from animals, there are some smaller fragments which supposedly need looking at in closer detail. Police reportedly found two guns in the search for Madeleine McCann last week. The firearms have now been sent back to Germany for analysis, along with fragments of bones and clothing which had already been reported, according to The Olive Press Madeleine McCann police found 'two buried guns' in latest Portugal search Kate and Gerry McCann don't often comment on the search for their daughter these days, with their last update coming on May 3 this year. On the 18th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance, they said: "The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this." They added: "May is also Madeleine's birthday - her 22nd this year. No matter how near or far she is, she continues to be right here with us, every day, but especially on her special day. We continue to 'celebrate' her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her." Police in Germany are inspecting tiny fragments of clothes and bone. A source told the Berlin Morning Post: 'Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory. As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things.. 'The investigators have not officially commented on whether the finds could have anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance but that is clearly their hope.' Brueckner spent time in the Praia de Luz area of Portugal between 2000 and 2017. In 2005, he raped a 72-year-old American woman, an offence for which he was jailed 14 years later. Madeleine McCann's university student brother Sean is tipped to become an Olympic athlete. Sean and his twin sister Amelie were just two years old when their sister disappeared 18 years ago in the Algarve in 2007. Today 20-year-old Sean has become a highly accomplished swimmer tipped to join Team GB in Los Angeles in 2028. Recently Sean was captured on camera with a gold medal around his neck after competing in a Mediterranean open water swimming competition. Police are investigating samples of 'clothes and bones' found in last week's search for Madeleine McCann, it is claimed. On Thursday, a team of German and Portuguese investigators wrapped up a three-day search along a 120-acre stretch of land in Lagos, Portugal, in their latest attempt to find new evidence against prime suspect Christian Brueckner. Initial reports suggested the operation - which took place 30 miles from where the three-year-old went missing in May 2007 - had failed to turn up any new leads. But now, it has been claimed that fragments of clothing and bones have been sent off for testing this week after being found at the scene. A woman who alleged she was raped at knifepoint by the main suspect in the Madeleine McCann case says she fears he will seek her out following his release from Brueckner, 48, is due to be freed from a German jail in September after completing his sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old US woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal in Behan, 41, from Ireland, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she fears the German man will "hunt her down".Brueckner was acquitted by a German court in relation to the charge of violent rape of Ms Behan at her apartment in Praia da Rocha in Portugal's told The Sun: "His sentence may be ending but mine never did. I have lived with fear every day for 21 years."Fear that I'll see him. Fear that he'll find out where I live and hunt me down. I also have fear that he'll do to someone else what he did to me."I've called him out in a public forum and I have genuine concern he could confront me." It's not yet clear when the letter, in which Brueckner criticises the police, was written. A newly uncovered letter from lead suspect Christian Brueckner is said to mock German police's attempts to link him to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. In the handwritten note, seen by German newspaper Bild, he reportedly writes: 'Are there any traces of her in my vehicle? Any other traces of her in my possession? Photos? Is there a body? No, no, no.' The UK has spent several million pounds in its efforts to find out any information about Madeleine McCann. Funding given to Operation Grange has reached more than £13.2million since 2011. As of 2022, there were five Metropolitan police officers who were working on the case. The residents of Praia da Luz have said they hope the family of Madeleine McCann will "get closure." Long-term residents in the resort town said they hoped the search would bring the family much-needed closure. Speaking to the BBC, residents said: "We hope her family get closure." An explosive new Madeleine McCann documentary has revealed new bombshell evidence that may prove that Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the case. The new film hones in on circumstantial evidence found in his lair that points directly to why German national Brueckner is the prime suspect in the case that has gripped the world since Madeleine vanished in 2007. Clues have been few and far between since little Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday to the Algarve some 18 years ago. The investigation uncovers the disturbing finds at Brueckner's abandoned factory as well as his sickening obsession with young children. To read more, click here. The documentary revealed the existence of an 80gb hard drive that contains images and a laptop key, which might have persuaded police to launch another phase of the investigation. The hard drive also put Brueckner at the location of Arades Dam, in Portugal. A new TV documentary has compiled a host of circumstantial evidence, including images of children in swimming costumes as well as toddler toys found at his property. The documentary also reveals how a mask, guns and Brueckner's confession to using chemical ether to take a mum and her child outside a school. A document also put the suspect at the location of a search for Madeleine McCann where he allegedly said "she did not scream" as he discussed the British toddler with an associate. It also reveals harrowing kidnap stories where Brueckner wrote: "A very small girl enters the room. She's definitely not older than five." An ex-neighbour previously desribed convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner as an "angry young man." The neighbour, who lived in the same town where Madeleine vanished in 2007, recalled Brueckner had regular arguments with his then girlfriend. The neigbhour told The Independent: "If was riding past and he'd be standing outside, we'd say hello, you know how are you." She added: "Nothing more. Then we found out he was a really nasty piece of work." Irish woman Hazel Behan, 41, claimed police were dismissive of her account that she was raped at knifepoint by Christian Brueckner. Hazel said she reported the assault in Praia da Luz 21 years ago but that they were dismissive of her claim. She said they continued to follow her for the next few weeks to analyse her behaviour and believes they were checking to see if she was sexually promiscuous or not. A former homicide police chief has shared why this missing person case captured the public in particular. Simon Foy, who led Operation Grange to find Madeleine in 2011, explained that the case had captured the world because it was 'every parent's nightmare'. He told The Guardian: 'When I was working in homicide investigations in the Met, occasionally these cases would come along which for some reason just connected around the public consciousness. 'It's a whole load of things: it's a young blond girl, it's a middle-class family, it's a holiday, it's every parent's nightmare. All that sort of stuff very unpredictably would combine together and you would go from virtually minimal media interest and coverage to significant and substantial media coverage, and that was all before the days of social media.' True crime tourists have flocked to Praia da Luz in a bid to retrace the family's last steps. British friends Joanne Sheppard, 60, and Jane Thorp, 61, visited the Ocean Club complex last week. Joanne told The Guardian: "When we decided to go on holiday, I said I would like to see the place where [Madeleine] went missing and I'd like to sit and see the scope of the area so we could get a feel of various routes where maybe Gerry McCann and Kate walked." An Irish woman who was allegedly raped at knifepoint by Christian Brueckner fears he will "hunt her down" when he is released from prison. Brueckner, 48, who is the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is set to be freed from a prison in Germany in September. He was jailed for the rape of a 72-year-old US woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2005. Now, Hazel Behan, 41, who bravely waived her right to anonymity, has opened up about her ordeal and said she is living in fear. She told The Sun: 'His sentence may be ending but mine never did. I have lived with fear every day for 21 years. Fear that I'll see him. Fear that he'll find out where I live and hunt me down. I also have fear that he'll do to someone else what he did to me. 'I've called him out in a public forum and I have genuine concern he could confront me. I wouldn't put anything past a person like him. If he is released, I will worry for every woman and child who, like me, believes the justice system is protecting them. A leopard doesn't change his spots.' A rescue expert has spoken to Fox News about the Madeleine McCann case, saying it's "frustrating" because the "five W's" remain unanswered. Bryan Stern is the founder of Grey Bull Rescue, a charity that rescues Americans and its allies from combat zones. He told Fox Digital: 'The five W's are unanswered right now: Who did it? How did it happen? When did it happen? Where did it happen, you know?' 'That's why these situations are so frustrating … because there's way more questions than answers. The only thing that anybody knows for sure is that there's a little girl who used to be walking the streets; now she's not.' He believes that the renewed search clearly suggests that officials are still searching for answers in an unsolved case. He said it may have been sparked by a tip off from someone close to Christian Brueckner, or the paedophile himself as part of a deal with prosecutors. Investigators are looking into claims a British man and his German wife were somehow involved in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann after the sister of the Brit tipped off detectives. The woman claimed in 2018 that the couple had been drinking close to where Madeleine went missing. They reportedly had been in a car that hit Madeleine while under the influence of alcohol. A note written by Christian Brueckner asked six questions. According to a note translated by The Sun, Brueckner wrote: "It is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered." These are the six questions he raised: Portuguese police reportedly did not know what intelligence German police were working with when they launched the latest search. German officials packed up a few soil samples from the site during the search, although they have not commented on the significance of anything that was found. German police had been searching for any links that tied Christian Brueckner to the location where he had been at the time of Madeleine's disappearance in 2007. Madeleine McCann vanished on May 3 while she was on holiday with her family at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz. Her parents went out for dinner with some friends while she and her brother and sister stayed at the holiday flat about 100 yards away. The adults had a rota system and, when it was Kate McCann's turn to check on the children, she found Madeleine was missing. Police were then alerted and guests at the complex started to search for Madeleine.
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Former West Ham star Dimitri Payet has contract ripped up leaving him unemployed after shocking abuse claims
DIMITRI PAYET had his contract ripped up to leave him unemployed. It comes just weeks after shocking abuse claims against the ex-West Ham man. Advertisement 4 Ex-West Ham man Dimitri Payet had his contract in Brazil terminated Credit: Getty 4 Ex-lover Larissa Ferrari made shocking abuse claims against the married footballer during their alleged affair Credit: However, the club announced the decision to cut the deal short. They wrote on "The club thanks the athlete for the professionalism, dedication and respect demonstrated throughout his time at Sao Januario, and wishes him success in his next challenges. Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL "For Vasco, Payet played 77 matches, scored eight goals and contributed 16 assists. "Thank you, Payet. This is Vasco." Payet hit headlines in April when his The Advertisement Most read in Football Brazilian lawyer Ferrari, 28, also said the former French international Payet made her partake in a fake wedding and wear a ring to 'prove her love'. She claimed he made her Premier League cult hero Dimitri Payet rolls back the years as he humiliates opponent with unique 360-nutmeg The mum-of-two said: 'He's a sick monster. I was scared for my life, and I'm still scared." Payet Advertisement The playmaker has four children with his wife of nearly 20 years, Ludivine, who remained in France after he joined Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro in 2023. Before that, he had six-and-a-half years with 4 Payet spent two years with Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro Credit: Getty 4 Payet has four children with his wife Ludivine Credit: AFP Advertisement
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
How illegal migrants are paying £20k to fly into the UK using fake papers before disappearing in new border threat
APPROACHING British passport control, a mum grips her young daughter's hand nervously. She fidgets with the documents they hope will fool airport officials into letting them through. 7 Cops arrested the crooks they believed had been trafficking untold numbers of illegal immigrants into Britain Credit: GMP 7 Cops ready to strike on a morning raid in Bolton Credit: GMP 7 An officer whacks the door with a battering ram Credit: GMP 7 Two policemen lead their suspect towards a van Credit: GMP With her eyes darting nervously and head hung low, it doesn't take long for border control officers at Manchester airport to clock something is not quite right. And on closer examination, it is clear the paperwork is forged. Immediately, they are blocked from entering the UK. But while this mum and daughter failed, there are plenty more queuing up to take their place — and the majority are Iranians, cops believe. And far from risking death in treacherous Many will get through — mysteriously disappearing once they have conned their way through customs. Or they will dump their forged or stolen documents and immediately head to the closest immigration office to beg for asylum. But on this occasion, Greater Manchester Police were called and an investigation — named Operation Alfriston — was quickly formed. Most read in The Sun Its aim is to discover who these ruthless smuggling gangs are and how they operate across the UK. This week The Sun was invited to watch as cops smashed down doors and arrested the crooks they believed had been trafficking untold numbers of 13 migrants jumped from the back of a lorry at a Sainsbury's distribution centre in South East London At 6am yesterday, 129 GMP police officers, alongside seven immigration compliance and enforcement officers, stormed 15 different addresses. They arrested eight men, between the ages of 18 and 52, and two women, aged 32 and 43, all involved in a conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law by assisting illegal entry into the UK. If charged and found guilty, each member could face life in prison for their role in the smuggling ring. 'I think we're just scraping the surface' The arrests took place in Greater Manchester — Bolton, Sale, Bramhall, Salford, Leigh and Cheadle — and Cricklewood, North London. We saw cops from the Tactical Aid Unit shatter a glass door and then break down an internal one to enter a property in Bolton. They alerted the occupants to their arrival with shouts of 'police' as they marched inside in full protective gear. Greater Manchester Police's Head of Intel, Detective Chief Superintendent John Griffith, told The Sun: 'Tackling immigration crime has become a priority for us. With the arrests yesterday morning, I think we're just scraping the surface. 'By focusing on gathering intelligence on the infrastructure around how people are entering the UK illegally, hopefully we can deter other people from doing it.' 7 Migrants met by officers after arriving in Kent Credit: AFP Often people who are smuggled into the UK will end up working for little money at businesses such as car washes, nail bars and hairdressers. DCS Griffith, who has a background in counter terrorism, added: 'These people are hugely vulnerable. 'If you can imagine some of the travelling conditions that they will have faced across Europe when coming into the UK — to put up with that, there must be a real desire to get here. 'That desire often transfers into a willingness to pay a lot of money to individuals to facilitate that entry, irrespective of the success of that entry or not. 'There are numerous individuals who have paid these facilitators and actually have never arrived in the UK, but continue to engage with them and pay them just for the attraction of coming here.' Not long before Christmas last year, the ringleader of an organised crime gang dealing with migrants was picked up at the airport and flagged to police. At the time, he was not arrested. Instead, cops gathered intelligence so that when they struck, they could take out all the key players. While this is technically smuggling, it sits in a grey area that shares characteristics with modern slavery. Justine Carter The crook did most of his communications in the Persian language Farsi, adding a stumbling block for the team of 12 police officers. For fake documents or stolen identities and paperwork to enter the UK via an airport, the group was charging around £20,000. Investigation leader Detective Chief Inspector Tim Berry told The Sun: 'Our main suspect, who is actively involved in facilitating people into the UK, is generally using false documents of various nationalities. 'To do that he needs a number of people around him to facilitate and support with various elements, such as supplying false documents, booking travel, moving monies — that kind of thing. 'We know that he's offering the full package for around £20,000. It's that profit that motivates organised crime gangs to do this kind of work.' The Manchester force has spent thousands of man hours to identify all the key players in the group, with their tentacles extending as far as Cricklewood. Police believe most of the people who have paid the extortionate fee to travel safely through the air, rather than crammed on a small boat in the Channel, are of Iranian nationality. 7 Det Chief Supt John Griffith from Greater Manchester Police Credit: Greater Manchester Police 7 Fake passports are being sold by callous criminals Credit: Getty But not all the fake documents work, meaning the holders are turned away at the border and sent back to the country they have flown in from. The process of sorting what is sold as safe passage to the UK requires a team of people. DCI Berry explained: 'We have evidence of travel booked by travel agents and our view is that they're doing that knowing that they're acting illegally, rather than blindly. 'We've also arrested people involved in money exchange services because you have to move money across Europe to pay for these documents. 'A lot of the people arrested fall into the logistics and facilitating category rather than being the organiser.' 'Exploitation isn't always visible or physical' But things could be more sinister than just people smuggling — it is possible that the gang is also going on to exploit the people it has helped to enter the country illegally. This would fall under modern slavery, where illegal immigrants are forced to work long hours for low pay or be exploited sexually to pay off their debt. DCS Griffiths said: 'Modern slavery in organised immigration crime is interlinked significantly. For me, organised immigration crime is the primary offence. 'People are coming into the country illegally, and we need to stop that collectively through our police action and partnership action. 'But once people are here, they are tied into the country through debt bondage. 'They get pulled into the grey economy as gangs exploiting these people either utilise their labour or engage them even further in criminal enterprise. 'Ahead of the curve' 'This would be criminality such as drug supply and cannabis farms and other sorts of premises where crimes can be undertaken.' Traditionally, immigration offences were dealt with by the National Crime Agency, Border Force and immigration enforcement officers. But with the flood of illegal migrants by boat and other entry points, local police have been asked to step in too. DCI Berry said: 'In recent years, there's been a real push from the Home Office and from the National Crime Agency for police forces to improve their response to organised immigration crime. 'I would like to think as a force that we're actually fairly ahead of the curve because we have a dedicated team. 'We absolutely do look to take this work on and we're still developing an understanding about our work from an intelligence point of view. 'But wherever we get opportunities to investigate this, we will do — because we recognise the risks around it and the vulnerabilities and the harm that can be caused by it.' Justine Carter, director of strategy and business services at anti-modern slavery group Unseen, said: 'While this is technically smuggling, it sits in a grey area that shares characteristics with modern slavery. 'These cases typically involve recruitment, movement, deception, and significant financial exploitation, which can often lead to debt bondage and long-term vulnerability. 'Even without forced labour, the legal threshold for trafficking may still be met if the acts, means and purpose are present. 'In these cases, the purpose is not labour or sexual exploitation, but financial gain through the exploitation of vulnerable people. Read more on the Irish Sun 'It's a reminder that exploitation isn't always visible or physical — it can be economic and deeply systemic.' The ten people arrested are being interviewed under suspicion of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law, assisting illegal entry into the country by non-UK nationals in breach of immigration law, conspiracy to money launder and participating in the activities of organised crime.
