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Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Four accused of smuggling cannabis to UK in the post
Four men have gone on trial charged with smuggling more than 300kg of cannabis from the US into the UK using the postal service. Mohammed Hussain, 28, Abdu Husain 28, Sean Montgomery, 24 and Steven Munroe 44, all from Cardiff, are charged with conspiracy to import and supply controlled drugs. An operation by police started after a postal worker reported suspicious activity and more than 20 uncollected parcels were seized at a sorting office. The jury at Newport Crown court heard this was "drug dealing on an industrial scale". Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said "80 addresses across south Wales" were listed in the police operation. Mr Griffiths said: "Some of the addresses didn't exist but you can see the scale of the operation by the number of addresses." He said 329kg of cannabis worth millions was imported. Mr Griffiths told the jury how two defendants, Mohammed Hussain and Abdu Husain, were both involved in the "distribution and collection of cannabis and large sums of money". He said the pair was working for the leader of an organised crime gang. The jury heard both men would collect parcels from the addresses and take them to a "stash house" in Cardiff. Mr Griffiths said: "While the pair have pleaded guilty to the domestic distribution, we say they must have been involved in the importation of cannabis." Text messages asking about delivery were read to the court, which the prosecution say shows they were "participants in the importation of drugs." Sean Montgomery's involvement was on 26 October 2024 he went to the Royal Mail sorting office in Barry to collect three parcels. They weren't released because the address didn't exist, the sorting office reported them and they were seized by the police. By this stage there were 22 parcels at the sorting office to the address. Parcels with at least 85kg were intercepted by UK Border Force. The court heard Stephen Munroe's involvement was he allowed 23kg to be delivered to his house in Splott. The prosecution claim he "knew about the bigger operation and parcels coming in from America". The jury was told the police operation started in November 2022 after a postal worker was suspected and arrested for intercepting parcels on his rounds. When a new worker started on that round, he was "approached by an Asian man who asked if there was a parcel for 44 Kidwelly Grove", Mr Griffiths said. "When he found out about his former colleague and when the man approached him a second time asking for a parcel, he made a note of the car number plate and model and reported it to the police. "The car was registered to Mohammed Hussain." Police arrested Mr Hussain and inside the car found empty cannabis packets and other drug paraphernalia. His phone was also seized, which Mr Griffiths said "revealed his extensive involvement in the distribution of cannabis". The "stash house" on Ninian Road was raided and 58 parcel wrappings were discovered and 1kg of cannabis. The men were all arrested in December 2024. Mr Munroe told officers he had accepted £50 to take delivery of a parcel but he didn't know about the parcels intercepted by UK Border Force. The court heard Mr Montgomery told the police he had only gone to the sorting office after a friend called him and asked because he was in Barry. The other two men exercised their right to silence. Mohammed Hussain and Abdu Husain have pleaded guilty to supply a controlled class B drug but deny conspiracy to import class B drugs. Sean Montgomery and Steven Munroe deny both charges.
STV News
28-05-2025
- STV News
Men smuggled cannabis worth £600,000 in suitcases from Canada to Glasgow
Two men who smuggled almost £600,000 worth of cannabis from Canada into Scotland have been jailed. Jamaal Darbasie, 27, and George Manton, 19, were stopped by UK Border Force officers when they arrived at Glasgow Airport from Toronto on March 10 last year. The pair, from Essex, were stopped by Border Force officers in the nothing-to-declare lane at the airport's arrivals zone. Their suitcases were searched and 120 vacuum-sealed packages of drugs, weighing 60 kilograms in total, were discovered inside. Specialist officers estimated that, if subdivided, the Class B drugs would have a street value of £592,716. Each of the cases also contained an Apple AirTag tracker device. Darbasie and Manton were sentenced at the High Court in Inverness after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. Darbasie was jailed for three years, while Manton will spend 30 months behind bars. Moira Orr, who leads on major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: 'This was a substantial attempt to bring a significant quantity of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland. 'Jamaal Darbasie and George Manton have now been held accountable thanks to an extensive Border Force operation, working with COPFS, to investigate and interrupt a network of drug supply. 'With each case of this kind we can help reduce the harm that these drugs inflict on communities. 'We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scottish Sun
24-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Foreigners caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow being immediately deported under new rules
The move comes amid a huge influx of dangerous and highly addictive Kush cannabis into Britain NEXT JET HOME Foreigners caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow being immediately deported under new rules FOREIGNERS caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow are having their drugs seized and are immediately deported under new rules. The seize and return pilot scheme led by UK Border Force and the National Crime Agency means the drug mules are not arrested in this country. Advertisement Instead, they will be sent straight back home, where it is understood the authorities there will deal with them. The trial began last Monday and is expected to run for three months. It will keep foreign criminals out of UK prisons and avoid taxpayers having to foot the bill. It could be rolled out across all UK airports, if successful. Advertisement The move comes amid a huge influx of dangerous and highly addictive Kush cannabis into Britain. The cheap, synthetic drug is cut with additives including acetone, the opioid tramadol, and formalin — a toxic chemical commonly used to preserve bodies in mortuaries. It has claimed the lives of thousands in West Africa since appearing there in 2022, before spreading around the world. In recent weeks, a string of young people have been caught trying to smuggle the drug into the UK, mostly from Thailand, where cannabis is legal. Advertisement Criminal gangs previously relied on postal deliveries to get the drugs here. But cannabis arrivals by mail from Thailand plummeted by 90 per cent in the first three months of this year, thanks to a new partnership between UK Border Force and Thai customs. Brit teen facing life in prison after being 'caught with 14kg of cannabis' in her luggage after huge airport arrest Now, gangs are offering free paradise holidays, with unlimited booze, drugs and £2,000-plus in cash, to young people willing to be drugs mules. Since July, 800 people, including 50 from Britain, have been detained in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling, with more than nine tons of cannabis seized. Advertisement The Home Office confirmed it was booting out foreign smugglers trying to bring in 'small quantities' — but has not said exactly how much.
The Irish Sun
24-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Foreigners caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow being immediately deported under new rules
FOREIGNERS caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow are having their drugs seized and are immediately deported under new rules. The seize and return pilot scheme led by UK Border Force and the Instead, they will be sent straight back home, where it is understood the authorities there will deal with them. The trial began last Monday and is expected to run for three months. It will keep foreign criminals out of UK prisons and avoid taxpayers having to foot the bill. It could be rolled out across all UK airports, if successful. Read More on UK News The move comes amid a huge influx of dangerous and highly addictive Kush cannabis into Britain. The cheap, synthetic drug is cut with additives including acetone, the opioid tramadol, and formalin — a toxic chemical commonly used to preserve bodies in mortuaries. It has claimed the lives of thousands in West Africa since appearing there in 2022, before spreading around the world. In recent weeks, a string of young people have been caught trying to smuggle the drug into the UK, mostly from Thailand, where cannabis is legal. Most read in The Sun Criminal gangs previously relied on postal deliveries to get the drugs here. But cannabis arrivals by mail from Thailand plummeted by 90 per cent in the first three months of this year, thanks to a new partnership between UK Border Force and Thai customs. Brit teen facing life in prison after being 'caught with 14kg of cannabis' in her luggage after huge airport arrest Now, gangs are offering free paradise holidays, with unlimited booze, drugs and £2,000-plus in cash, to young people willing to be drugs mules. Since July, 800 people, including 50 from Britain, have been detained in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling, with more than nine tons of cannabis seized. The Home Office confirmed it was booting out foreign smugglers trying to bring in 'small quantities' — but has not said exactly how much. 1 Foreigners caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow are having their drugs seized and are immediately deported under new rules Credit: Alamy
The Sun
24-05-2025
- The Sun
Foreigners caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow being immediately deported under new rules
FOREIGNERS caught smuggling cannabis into Heathrow are having their drugs seized and are immediately deported under new rules. The seize and return pilot scheme led by UK Border Force and the National Crime Agency means the drug mules are not arrested in this country. Instead, they will be sent straight back home, where it is understood the authorities there will deal with them. The trial began last Monday and is expected to run for three months. It will keep foreign criminals out of UK prisons and avoid taxpayers having to foot the bill. It could be rolled out across all UK airports, if successful. The move comes amid a huge influx of dangerous and highly addictive Kush cannabis into Britain. The cheap, synthetic drug is cut with additives including acetone, the opioid tramadol, and formalin — a toxic chemical commonly used to preserve bodies in mortuaries. It has claimed the lives of thousands in West Africa since appearing there in 2022, before spreading around the world. In recent weeks, a string of young people have been caught trying to smuggle the drug into the UK, mostly from Thailand, where cannabis is legal. Criminal gangs previously relied on postal deliveries to get the drugs here. But cannabis arrivals by mail from Thailand plummeted by 90 per cent in the first three months of this year, thanks to a new partnership between UK Border Force and Thai customs. Brit teen facing life in prison after being 'caught with 14kg of cannabis' in her luggage after huge airport arrest Now, gangs are offering free paradise holidays, with unlimited booze, drugs and £2,000-plus in cash, to young people willing to be drugs mules. Since July, 800 people, including 50 from Britain, have been detained in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling, with more than nine tons of cannabis seized. The Home Office confirmed it was booting out foreign smugglers trying to bring in 'small quantities' — but has not said exactly how much. 1
