Naive young mum took huge gamble for 'life-changing' sum - but it didn't pay off

Daily Mirror

17-06-2025

Chelsea Blanton was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport but, following their discovery, the green young woman must now "pay the consequences"
A drug mule caught in the UK with 28 kilos of cannabis in a "risky gamble" for a "life-changing" sum has been jailed.
Chelsea Blanton "took a gamble" in attempting to bring the drugs into the UK in exchange for $8,500 (£6,200). The American woman had travelled from Texas to Saudi Arabia to Malaysia before heading to Manchester via Heathrow, but she was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport on May 7 this year.
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Officers found 15 vacuum-sealed packages of cannabis in her two suitcases, and Blanton was arrested. The 29-year-old woman later told a court she had been offered the "life-changing" amount of $8,500 to try to smuggle the cannabis, which had a wholesale value of around £80,000.
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Jailing Blanton for 17 months at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Tom Gilbart said: "You took a gamble, it didn't pay off. You now have to pay the consequences."
The court heard Blanton made a "false claim" regarding her visit to the UK when she was arrested at the airport. She later admitted drug smuggling when confronted with the cannabis, reports Manchester Evening News.
The judge continued: "Speaking to the probation service, you confirmed you did this to make money. You took a risk, you said you would be paid $8,500. There is no suggestion of intimidation or coercion. There was a degree of naivety on your part."
The court heard she had no previous conviction in the United Kingdom, but had admitted to the probation service that she was imprisoned for assault in the United States.
Blanton expressed remorse, and said in mitigation that she had suffered trauma following the violent death of her father. She also said she had been the victim of domestic violence in the past, the judge continued.
He said: "I accept you had genuine personal, health and financial difficulties. You have a good work ethic and have worked two jobs to support your family. You have a 12-year-old child, he must pay the consequences for the decisions you have made. You described this opportunity as life changing, and I accept you would have received significant financial gain.'
Blanton, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 17 months, of which she will serve half in prison before she will be liable to deportation back to the United States. Judge Gilbart added: "Given you committed this crime having left your son with your mother, it can't be a proper or fair reason to step back from custody."