Brit ‘drug mule' couple arrested in Spain with 33kgs of cannabis in THIRD smuggler case linked to Thailand in just weeks
A BRITISH couple claiming to be tourists from Thailand have been busted with more than 33kg of cannabis in their suitcases at a Spanish airport.
The pair were picked out by suspicious cops at Valencia Airport after displaying a 'nervous and evasive attitude' and are now behind bars on drug trafficking charges.
3
3
3
The man and woman were stopped before reaching customs, with officials later discovering vacuum-packed marijuana and no clothes or personal belongings in their luggage.
It's the third case in weeks involving British nationals and alleged drug smuggling linked to Thailand.
A 23-year-old British woman in Ghana was arrested last week after being accused of attempting to bring up to 18kg of cannabis into the UK on a May 18 British Airways flight to Gatwick.
Bella May Culley, 18, sparked a massive international search operation in early May after she was reported missing while she was believed to be holidaying in Thailand.
But it was later revealed that the teen, from Billingham, County Durham, had been arrested 4,000 miles away on drug offences in Georgia, allegedly carrying 14kg of cannabis into the ex-Soviet nation.
And recently 21-year-old Charlotte Lee May, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo after police discovered 46 kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase.
The former flight attendant, facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted, is claiming she had 'no idea' about the drugs worth up to £1.2 million.
She insists they must have been planted in her luggage without her knowledge.
Confirming the latest arrests, a spokesman for the Civil Guard in Valencia said: 'The Civil Guard and Tax Agency have arrested two people on a flight from France for carrying more than 33 kilograms of vacuum-packed marijuana in their suitcases.
'The two passengers, a British man and woman, were displaying a nervous and evasive attitude and were stopped before they reached customs control.
'They said they were coming from Thailand and were entering Spain as tourists and had nothing to declare.
'Following standard procedure, their suitcases were put through a specialist scanner which showed up a large amount of organic material in both but no clothes or personal belongings.
'The cases were subsequently opened in their presence and found to contain a substance which tested positive in the cannabis-marijuana drugs test.
'The drugs were subsequently confirmed to be 33,540 grams of marijuana.
'The British man and woman were subsequently arrested for a crime of drug trafficking and remanded in prison following a court appearance."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Spain's Santander poised to halt appointment of new accounting boss, source says
MADRID, June 4 (Reuters) - Spanish bank Santander ( opens new tab is set to halt the appointment of Alexsandro Broedel Lopes as its new chief accounting officer, a person familiar with the matter said. Broedel, who had been set to start in the role at Santander in the coming months, faces litigation proceedings from his former employer Brazilian lender Itau Unibanco ( opens new tab, which accuses Broedel of diverting funds while at the bank. Santander declined to comment. Broedel was not immediately available for comment. Broedel's representatives had previously said their client denies any misconduct.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Video by Dorset Police shows dismissed officer arresting teen
Video footage showing the arrest of a 15-year-old boy, which led to the dismissal of a police officer has been released by Dorset independent panel found PC Lorne Castle's actions amounted to gross misconduct, and he was dismissed without panel found Castle did not treat the teenager with courtesy or respect, and that his shouting, swearing, finger pointing, taking hold of the boy's face and throat, and suggesting the use of leg restraints were not necessary, proportionate or panel found the force used to take him to the ground was necessary, reasonable and proportionate. In the footage, the boy is audibly distressed, and keeps asking why he is being Police said a knife was found on the boy afterwards, but beforehand there had been no suggestion he was armed or that a knife had been force said no further action was taken against the teenager, but he was issued with an out of court disposal for possessing the Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said the force was sharing the footage to be transparent and address misinformation. In reaction to the release of the video the Dorset Police Federation said the force had not provided "context or balance" and "entices the public into making judgements without having the benefit of all the facts".It said that the footage failed to show a "double-bladed knife" which fell from the clothing of the added that the officer was warned to be "extra cautious" ahead of the arrest, due to a mass brawl in the town centre just two nights before, which involved youths with "machetes and knives"."The reason for the release appears primarily to be an attempt by Dorset Police to manage some of the public criticism the force has received following the decision to dismiss the officer, rather than a genuine desire to properly inform the public," the Federation Castle has previously apologised and admitted his behaviour was "rude", but said he "panicked in the moment". You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
British tourist, 21, faces drug charges after Thailand holiday
A 21-year-old woman is being held by police in Germany after allegedly travelling with cannabis from in Germany say Cameron Bradford, from Knebworth in Hertfordshire, was stopped and arrested at Munich Airport on 22 told BBC Newsbeat she's still in custody there although it's unclear what the next stage of the process will be. When Newsbeat asked the Foreign Office about Cameron's case, a spokesperson confirmed they're helping a British woman and her family too. The UK government says Thailand has strict laws against drug use, possession and trafficking and having even small quantities can lead to heavy fines and jail "low strength" weed has been legal there since 2022, Foreign Office advice says there have been cases of British nationals being arrested as they leave the country. In July last year, the government announced a partnership with Thai Customs to cut down a "surge" of illegal cannabis shipments to the UK since Thailand decriminalised the then, more than 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted cannabis smuggling. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
