Latest news with #NationalCrimeAgency
Scottish Sun
15 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Cannabis seizures at UK airports soar to new highs with Thai gangs responsible
A record 430 suspects were arrested at Heathrow, the National Crime Agency reports RECORD BUSTS Cannabis seizures at UK airports soar to new highs with Thai gangs responsible CANNABIS seizures have soared to record highs at UK airports — as Thai smuggling gangs attempt to dominate the British market in the illegal drug. The amount caught at Heathrow alone last year — 14.7 tons — was almost triple the 5.6 tons snared at all airports during 2023. Advertisement 2 Alleged smuggler Charlotte May Lee was arrested in Sri Lanka on a flight from Thailand Credit: Sri Lanka Police Nearly 27 tons of cannabis were seized at British airports last year, 400 per cent up on the previous 12 months. Some 750 people were caught by specialist cops, way up on the 134 nicked the year before. Nearly two thirds were flying in from Thailand. A record 430 suspects were arrested at Heathrow, the National Crime Agency said. Advertisement Next worst hotspots were Manchester with 135 arrests and 4.8 tons seized and Birmingham, where 40 people were arrested over 1.4 tons. Thai gangs are thought to be trying to expand their stake in the British market by exploiting the Asian state's decriminalising of the drug in 2022. Many Brits are now caught trying to re-enter the UK with drugs having been lured to Thailand by the promise of a free holiday, lavish gifts and posh accommodation. In return, they must bring back suitcases stuffed with drugs. Advertisement A source said: 'It's so much easier to obtain cannabis in Thailand than anywhere else. 'There is a huge amount of demand in the UK, especially for kush, which is much stronger. That explains the massive surge in seizures.' Charlotte May Lee fears being locked away for 20yrs over £1.2m Sri Lanka drugs bust – & is 'aware' of Bella Culley case More than 50 British nationals have been caught acting as drug mules on flights out of Thailand since the start of 2024. They include Charlotte May Lee, 21, held in Sri Lanka after flying from Thailand allegedly with £1.2million worth of kush. Advertisement
The Irish Sun
15 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Cannabis seizures at UK airports soar to new highs with Thai gangs responsible
CANNABIS seizures have soared to record highs at UK airports — as Thai smuggling gangs attempt to dominate the British market in the illegal drug. The amount caught at Heathrow alone last year — 14.7 tons — was almost triple the 5.6 tons snared at all airports during 2023. Advertisement 2 Alleged smuggler Charlotte May Lee was arrested in Sri Lanka on a flight from Thailand Credit: Sri Lanka Police Nearly 27 tons of cannabis were seized at British airports last year, 400 per cent up on the previous 12 months. Some 750 people were caught by specialist cops, way up on the 134 nicked the year before. Nearly two thirds were flying in from Thailand. A record 430 suspects were arrested at Heathrow, the National Crime Agency said. Advertisement READ MORE ON DRUGS Next worst hotspots were Manchester with 135 arrests and 4.8 tons seized and Birmingham, where 40 people were arrested over 1.4 tons. Thai gangs are thought to be trying to expand their stake in the British market by exploiting the Asian state's decriminalising of the drug in 2022. Many Brits are now caught trying to re-enter the UK with drugs having been lured to Thailand by the promise of a free holiday, lavish gifts and posh accommodation. In return, they must bring back suitcases stuffed with drugs. Advertisement Most read in The Sun A source said: 'It's so much easier to obtain cannabis in Thailand than anywhere else. 'There is a huge amount of demand in the UK, especially for kush, which is much stronger. That explains the massive surge in seizures.' Charlotte May Lee fears being locked away for 20yrs over £1.2m Sri Lanka drugs bust – & is 'aware' of Bella Culley case More than 50 British nationals have been caught acting as drug mules on flights out of Thailand since the start of 2024. They include Advertisement 2 There have been record numbers of cannabis seizures at UK airports, with two-thirds coming from Thailand Credit: Unpixs
The Sun
15 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Cannabis seizures at UK airports soar to new highs with Thai gangs responsible
CANNABIS seizures have soared to record highs at UK airports — as Thai smuggling gangs attempt to dominate the British market in the illegal drug. The amount caught at Heathrow alone last year — 14.7 tons — was almost triple the 5.6 tons snared at all airports during 2023. 2 Nearly 27 tons of cannabis were seized at British airports last year, 400 per cent up on the previous 12 months. Some 750 people were caught by specialist cops, way up on the 134 nicked the year before. Nearly two thirds were flying in from Thailand. A record 430 suspects were arrested at Heathrow, the National Crime Agency said. Next worst hotspots were Manchester with 135 arrests and 4.8 tons seized and Birmingham, where 40 people were arrested over 1.4 tons. Thai gangs are thought to be trying to expand their stake in the British market by exploiting the Asian state's decriminalising of the drug in 2022. Many Brits are now caught trying to re-enter the UK with drugs having been lured to Thailand by the promise of a free holiday, lavish gifts and posh accommodation. In return, they must bring back suitcases stuffed with drugs. A source said: 'It's so much easier to obtain cannabis in Thailand than anywhere else. 'There is a huge amount of demand in the UK, especially for kush, which is much stronger. That explains the massive surge in seizures.' Charlotte May Lee fears being locked away for 20yrs over £1.2m Sri Lanka drugs bust – & is 'aware' of Bella Culley case More than 50 British nationals have been caught acting as drug mules on flights out of Thailand since the start of 2024. They include Charlotte May Lee, 21, held in Sri Lanka after flying from Thailand allegedly with £1.2million worth of kush. 2
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Pregnant Lilly Gerrard thanks dad Steven ‘for everything' in birthday post
The 21-year-old who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Lee Byrne, shared a collage of photographs to mark the occasion. Lilly Gerrard has taken to social media to wish her father, and Liverpool F.C legend Steven Gerrard a happy birthday. The 21-year-old who is expecting her first child with Irish boyfriend Lee Byrne, shared a collage of photographs to mark the occasion. 'Happy Birthday to the best dad. I hope your day is as special as you are to us! Love you so much, thanks for everything,' she captioned the post. One snap shows the pair when Lilly was a little girl, while others show them posing together on holidays and at a concert Lilly's Instagram post Lee Byrne, son of Kinahan cartel lieutenant Liam Byrne, takes centre stage in another, posing alongside her father, and mother Alex. Lee Byrne, Alex Gerrard, Lilly Gerrard and Steven Gerrard are not involved in crime. Lilly and Lee announced that they were expecting their first child together in January. They shared the news with a fitting Instagram post that showed ultrasound scans, two positive pregnancy tests and a pair of knitted baby boots placed on top of a pregnancy journal. 'Our little secret, the best news, mini us is on the way,' Lilly captioned the post, tagging her partner, who is the son of Dublin gang boss Liam Byrne. The couple have been dating for more than three years, and regularly share snippets of their romance online for their Instagram followers. A key member of the Kinahan cartel, her father-in-law, Crumlin man Liam was arrested in Mallorca and extradited to the UK in December 2023. Steven and Lilly Gerrard News in 90 Seconds - May 30th In October, Liam Byrne was sentenced to five years behind bars at the Old Bailey in London after pleading guilty to the conspiracy charges. The Crumlin native, who was in custody since he was arrested in Spain in June 2023, was released in January. As part of his conditions, he is only allowed one personal mobile phone and SIM card for the next five years. Byrne was also ordered to register the make, model, colour and serial number of his phone with the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). Liam Byrne He is banned from using encrypted devices, messaging apps and must ensure all his browsing history is visible, as part of the Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) which was served to him. He is allowed to have one laptop and a tablet and can also have a maximum of two business phones at any one time. It comes after Byrne landed himself behind bars for using the encrypted messaging service EncroChat to arrange the gun plot for which he served time.
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Wales Online
He made 'diet pills' in his bedroom and sold them online but they contained something very dangerous
He made 'diet pills' in his bedroom and sold them online but they contained something very dangerous Kyle Enos bought an industrial chemical on the dark web which is banned for human consumption in the UK and used it to make illegal 'diet pills' which he sold online Kyle Enos (Image: Tarian ) A man used an industrial chemical bought from China on the dark web to make illegal and dangerous 'diet pills', a court has heard. Kyle Enos sold the pills to dieters around the UK and overseas, disguising the packages as harmless vitamin tablets. Cardiff Crown Court heard the 'diet tablets' were made with 2,4-Dinitrophenol - or DNP - an industrial chemical that is poisonous to humans and which is banned for human consumption in the UK. The chemical can cause death as well as other serious physical side-effects. At the time he was making and selling the pills the defendant had only been out of prison for a matter of months after serving a lengthy sentence for supplying the powerful opioid fentanyl. The court heard Enos would purchase the pure form sodium salt of 2,4-Dinitrophenol on the dark web from China. He then mixed the orange powder with various cutting agents and used a pill press in his bedroom to manufacture the tablets. The defendant advertised the pills - and other regulated medications - on a website he had created, and took payments in cryptocurrencies. The court heard Enos received orders via email and shipped the pills - disguised as vitamins and minerals - to customers around the UK and internationally as far afield as Hawaii and Australia. A batch of the chemical being mixed with cutting agents (Image: Tarian ) The 33-year-old was arrested in July last year when officers from Tarian, the regional organised crime unit for southern Wales, raided his home and found more than two kilos of DNP along with a pill press. The raid followed information received from the National Crime Agency. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter Kyle Enos, formerly of Newport but now of Station Road, Maesteg, had previously pleaded guilty to importing, acquiring or using a regulated substance without licence; supplying a regulated substance to the public without a licence, supplying a regulated poison by a person other than a pharmacist; and five counts of failing to comply with a serious crime prevention order when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. The pill press Enos used to make the tablets (Image: Tarian ) In 2018 the defendant was convicted of importing, supplying, and exporting "significant amounts" of the Class A drug fentanyl and sentenced to eight years in prison. That offending involved Enos - using the online pseudonym "sovietbear" - purchasing the synthetic opioid from labs in China, mixing it with other substances, and selling it to customers around the world using the dark web. Such was the potency of the drug the defendant was selling police went through his contacts list following his arrest and found four people on the database had died, though it could not be proved that the fentanyl supplied by Enos was related to their deaths. Among thd deaths were those of 23-year-old university student Jack Barton, who died in Cardiff in January, 2017, and Aaron Rees, aged 34, from Ammanford who was found dead in March, 2017. As well as being handed a lengthy jail term Enos was made subject of a serious crime prevention order which, among other things, banned him from selling products online and banned him from accessing the dark web. The DNP offending put him in breach of that order. The defendant had only been out of prison for a matter of months following the fentanyl conviction when he began dealing in the illegal diet pills. With a discount for his guilty pleas the defendant was sentenced to three years in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Speaking after the sentencing, detective constable Kieran Morris of Tarian said Enos was caught thanks to a "proactive partnership investigation" involving the National Crime Agency, the National Food Crime Unit, the Ministry of Defence, HM Prison and Probation Service, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, and South Wales Police. Article continues below He said: "The swift arrest of Enos and the removal of these poisonous diet pills from the open market was our utmost priority. Enos was supplying the pills with no safety precautions in place, and no advice on dosages. "This could have led to buyers becoming extremely ill or even dying. Tarian regional organised crime unit are committed to safeguarding members of the public not only within our region, but across the United Kingdom and beyond. The sentence handed down to Enos today should serve as a warning to others engaging in similar criminality." The head of the National Crime Agency's prisons and lifetime management unit, Alison Abbott, said crime prevention orders were a "powerful tool" to help prevent offenders from continuing their criminality when they came out of prison, and she said the case of Enos should serve as a warning to others that the agency would "actively monitor all those who are subject to such orders" when they are in the community.
