Latest news with #drugsmuggling
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
OnlyFans model, 36, 'caught trying to smuggle nearly £200k worth of Thai cannabis into Spain' - seeing her name added to an ever growing list of British women 'becoming mules'
A glamorous OnlyFans model was allegedly found trying to smuggle around £200,000 of Thai cannabis into Spain. Clara Wilson, 36, has been charged with drug offences after '60 vacuum-packed packages' of cannabis was found in her two suitcases at El Prat airport in Barcelona. The mother-of-four from Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire, was held by the Civil Guard on January 20 after departing a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. It is believed she jetted to the Mediterranean capital from Bangkok with stops in both India and Qatar. The unemployed parent now faces four years behind bars and potential fines of over £750,000 if she is found guilty. It comes amid a recent string of British women who have been arrested for smuggle drugs to foreign countries in recent weeks. Two days after Ms Wilson's arrest, she was taken into custody at a prison near Barcelona where she awaits a trial, for which a date has not been set. According to The Sun, a three page indictment described Ms Wilson's arrest in El Prat airport. It said 'police found 60 vacuum-packed packages containing a green-coloured substance that tested positive for marijuana. The substance weighed 34,074 grams,' in suitcases the mother of four had previously checked in. It added: 'A subsequent analysis by the National Toxicology Institute of a 55 gram sample of the substance confirmed it as cannabis.' Public prosecutors claimed in the document that the drugs were being shipped by Ms Wilson with 'the intention of selling it to third parties on the black market'. They said its value would have been €213,991 (£180,820.26). MailOnline has approached the Foreign Office for comment. Ms Wilson's arrest is the latest in a recent string of British female smugglers who have been caught illegally transporting drugs worth thousands of pounds. Bella May Culley, 18, sparked a massive international search operation in recent days after she was reported missing while she was believed to be holidaying in Thailand. However it was later revealed the teen, from Billingham, County Durham, had been arrested 4,000 miles away on drug offences in Georgia. Culley had allegedly being caught carrying 30 pounds (14kg) of cannabis into the ex-Soviet nation after she was flagged during a scanner check at Tbilisi International Airport. She previously spoke to MailOnline where she admitted that she had not been eating because the food was too spicy She was traveling around the Philippines and Thailand before she boarded the flight to Georgia from Bangkok, and has claimed in court that she is pregnant. Culley has also confided in legal sources that she was in love with a mystery man who now forms a central part of the investigation. Elsewhere in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested after police allegedly discovered 46 kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase. She is facing up to 25 years locked in a hellhole Sri Lankan jail - but she has insisted she has been set up. She previously spoke to MailOnline where she admitted that she had not been eating because the food was too spicy.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Pictured: Bowls-loving British pensioner, 79, who faces dying behind bars after he was 'found with £200,000 of meth' in Chile
A bowls-loving British pensioner who was 'found with £200,000 meth' in Chile has been pictured. William "Billy Boy" Eastment, 79, faces dying behind bars after being intercepted at Santiago Airport with the class A drug on May 18. He had arrived on a flight from Cancun and was booked to travel to Sydney in Australia the following day having been allegedly promised £3.7million by a Mexican gang to smuggle the suitcase, The Mirror reports. Eastment was known by neighbours in his home village of Milborne Port, Somerset as a quiet OAP and 'just a simple pensioner'. The arrest has come as a shock, with locals describing his love of crown greens and fondness of fishing. A retired heavy goods and bus fitter, Eastment was remanded in custody following a court appearance after a judge approved a prosecution request to send him to prison pending probable charges and trial. Chilean police say the 79-year-old is behind bars in Santiago 1 Penitentiary - a place far removed from the humble set of bungalows he previously inhabited. Police previously said the drugs he was caught with would have been worth around £200,000 on the streets of the south American country. He was intercepted after his luggage was put through an airport scanner. The British traveller was asked to open his suitcase in front of officers after they detected a 'suspicious' substance and police discovered a secret compartment where 5kg of the drugs had been packed. Airport police chief Sergio Paredes said it was the first time the arrested man had entered Chile. Despite some positive testimonies from neighbours, Eastman's ex-partner claimed she knew a darker side of the pensioner as he was 'always shouting at swearing' at her, according to The Mirror. Adding she had not spoken to Eastman since 2017, she said: 'People around here won't know him very well because they knew he was trouble. 'He had a hell of a temper and was always falling out with people. So neighbours would nod and say hello, but otherwise didn't get involved.' One neighbour recalled seeing Eastman just days before his arrest, saying he had mentioned going to Mexico but 'missed his flight' meaning he 'had to get a later one'. The neighbour questioned 'what on earth is someone like that doing mixed up drugs' and said 'he's just a simply pensioner, I hardly living the high life there'. The drugs arrest is the latest in a series of similar recent apprehensions around the world involving British nationals, although most have been far younger than Eastman. Officer Paredes said: 'This person came from Mexico and when he was arrested and taken to the anti-narcotics squad's airport offices, he said that the suitcase had been received by some Mexican nationals at Cancun airport. 'He was due to spend a night in a hotel in the centre of Santiago before boarding a flight to Sydney, Australia.' Mr Paredes added police were still investigating whether the drugs were due to remain in Chile or be taken to Australia. He told local press: 'Prosecutors are looking into this and trying to establish whether the drug was for internal consumption or was due to be transported by this British national to Australia.' Chilean customs officers released pictures of the drugs they had confiscated, saying: 'Customs officials intercepted a foreign citizen with more than five kilos of methamphetamines hidden in a secret compartment in his luggage at Santiago Airport. 'He was stopped after his luggage was scanned and has been remanded in custody.' Yesterday it emerged a British couple aged 33 and 34 had been held at Valencia airport after police discovered 33 kilos of cannabis in their luggage. The pair claimed they were tourists coming from Thailand after they were intercepted as they got off a flight from France. 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. However, 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 46kg 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 and insisting they must have been planted in her luggage without her knowledge.
The Sun
11 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Brit OnlyFans model caught trying to smuggle £200k of Thai cannabis into Spain in ANOTHER ‘mule' case
A BRIT OnlyFans model was caught allegedly smuggling nearly £200,000 worth of Thai cannabis into Spain. Glamorous Clara Wilson, from Huthwaite, Notts, has been charged with a drug running offence after more than 34 kilos of cannabis was found stuffed in her two suitcases at Barcelona's El Prat airport. 4 4 Her arrest comes amid a huge influx of marijuana flooding into Britain from Thailand, where the drug is legal. Gangs are recruiting travellers to smuggle the drug into the UK, often via other countries in a bid to avoid detection. Clara, 36, was held as she got off a Qatar Airways flight from Doha on January 20, although it's thought she travelled to Barcelona from Bangkok with stopovers in India and Qatar. The unemployed mum-of-four has been warned she faces being caged for up to four years and ordered to pay more than £750,000 in fines if convicted. Clara was remanded to a prison near the Catalan capital two days after her arrest and has been held there ever since as part of her pre-trial detention. A three-page indictment seen by The Sun states: 'The accused woman was intercepted by the Civil Guard around 9pm on January 20 at Barcelona's El Prat airport after getting off a Qatar Airways flight. 'In two suitcases she had previously checked in, police found 60 vacuum-packed packages containing a green-coloured substance that tested positive for marijuana. The substance weighed 34,074 grams. 'A subsequent analysis by the National Toxicology Institute of a 55 gram sample of the substance confirmed it as cannabis.' Public prosecutors added in the document: 'The drugs were transported by the accused with the intention of selling it to third parties on the black market where its value would have been EUROS 213,991.' No trial date has been set, but the indictment shows public prosecutors are pushing for a four-year prison sentence and huge £750,000 fine on conviction. Brit woman, 21, rotting in Dubai hellhole jail without a shower for a month after being arrested on drugs charges Clara, one of the latest in a string of young women to end up in prisons around the world after being accused of drug trafficking, has also been warned that an extra six months would be slapped on top of the potential four years in jail if she fails to pay her fines. It is not yet clear how she intends to plead and whether she will try to strike a pre-trial plea bargain deal in the hope of getting more lenient treatment. Under Spanish law, the British model can be held for up to two years in prison before she has to be bailed, but well-placed sources said they expect her to be tried later this year. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We are supporting a British woman detained in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities'. Last week, Spanish police went public with the arrests of a British couple aged 33 and 34 held at Valencia airport after 33 kilos of marijuana was found in their luggage. They claimed they were tourists coming from Thailand. 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. However, 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 30 pounds (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 and insisted they must have been planted in her luggage without her knowledge. Yesterday, The Sun revealed how 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. 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. 4
BBC News
12 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Inmate used garden work to smuggle drugs into Isle of Man Prison
An inmate who had been given special privileges to work in the garden at the entrance of the Isle of Man Prison smuggled drugs and two SIM Cards into the jail. Scott Carbutt, 42, was randomly searched as he returned to the facility in Jurby on 8 May and officers found a jumper scrunched in the corner of his holding cell containing MDMA, cocaine and Graeme Cook said it was an "abuse of trust" and he sentenced Carbutt to an additional five years and four had been serving a seven-year sentence which was handed down to him in April 2023 for possession of heroin, money laundering, possession of an offensive weapon and wounding with intent. Douglas Courthouse heard that the jumper had concealed 26g of MDMA, 3g of cocaine and 14g of the 42-year-old was asked what it was, he said it was cocaine, ketamine and MDMA, which "all belongs to me", and added: "I'm looking at ten years or more for this."Carbutt pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply of MDMA, cocaine and ketamine and possession of a prohibited articles in an institution. His defence advocate said Carbutt had been addicted to drugs for a "significant period of time" and when he "came across" them in the garden he "lapsed" and had used some of the drugs himself before going back into the prison. Sentencing him, Deemster Cook said: "There must have been some planning involved and it seems you knew what you were looking for by your response to prison officers."Aggravating factors included that the offences took place in a custodial environment, which could cause harm to prison officers and other inmates, and it was an "abuse of trust" given to him, he said."I am afraid you will be in prison for quite a few more years." Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Aussie drug smuggling accused swaps life of luxury for a Bali jail cell - as his family descend on the island and with a high-powered 'fixer' known as the 'prison whisperer'
The family of an Australian man facing the death penalty in Bali accused of smuggling cocaine onto the holiday island has enlisted the help of a high-powered 'fixer'. Business manager Lamar Ahchee, 43, originally from Cairns, was arrested last week accused of received two drug deliveries from the UK while living in Bali. The cocaine was allegedly concealed inside two gold Lindt chocolate boxes, each containing 54 individual packets of the drug, with 8.3 grams wrapped inside each. On Monday morning, Ahchee's mother and sister arrived in Bali moments after he was escorted in handcuffs to the Australian embassy. Prior to their arrival, a high-profile 'fixer' who worked to help free Schapelle Corby from jail was spotted arriving at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Monday. 'Prison whisperer' and former police officer John McLeod runs consultancy firm Tora Solutions, which helps Australians in legal troubles overseas. He previously helped get Corby out of Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail, where Ahchee could spend a lot of time if convicted. Outside the Australian embassy, Mr McLeod described the situation as very confronting and distressing for Ahchee's family and didn't provide further comment. Ahchee faces a death sentence after Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya alleged the drugs arrived in Indonesia on May 12. When the packages arrived at the Renon Main Post Office, customs officers at Ngurah Rai Airport scanned them using X-ray equipment and suspected they contained narcotics. Customs officers then worked with the Bali Regional Police Narcotics Directorate to conduct a controlled delivery as part of their ongoing investigation. Investigators allege the first package came from the Essex village of Runwell, east of London, and was addressed to 'Alex and Julie' in Kuta Utara, near Canggu. The second was allegedly sent from Braintree, 35km north of Runwell, to 'Dave Jones' in the same Balinese region. The following day, police allege Ahchee asked a driver to collect the packages from the post office. They met at a restaurant on May 22, and the Australian businessman allegedly took the packages back to Canggu. Ahchee was then arrested by the Bali drug squad and allegedly suffered several injuries while resisting arrest. Police allegedly seized 1.8kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $1.1million The quantity is enough is enough to warrant the death penalty under Indonesian law The quantity is enough is enough to warrant the death penalty under Indonesian law. Police allege he received 50m Indonesian rupiah, about A$4700, to receive and distribute the drugs. The quantity of cocaine Ahchee is accused of trying to smuggle into Indonesia, Ahchee grew up playing soccer in Cairns but moved to Sydney's well-heeled east, living in a $1.5million unit in Bellevue Hill and working as VIP manager at Marquee and later Casablanca nightclubs. He had moved to Bali by 2019, where his online professional profiles reveal he worked as the director and co-founder of technology groups. Previously, he had worked for marketing companies with strong ties to the nightlife scene in both Sydney and Bali. In 2015, he was the director of marketing and events at Sydney Seadeck, a $5 million party boat popular among glamorous Sydney socialites and organised crime figures. According to his LinkedIn profile, he also co-founded Behind the Rope. It was an invitation-only 'private lifestyle platform for high achievers, affluent in-demand individuals, influencers and high profile personalities in business, politics, culture, entertainment and sport'. The firm added: 'BTR takes immense pride in extending our service to only a select few, which ensures that we come to know members not just by name, but also by their distinct personality, preferences, likes and tastes.' There is no record of Behind the Rope in ASIC. He would later work for Omnia beachclub a popular club in Uluwatu for two years before finding hospitality work in Canggu at Brick Lane. He stepped down as the general manager of Canggu restaurant Brick Lane Bali last November after eight months in the role. 'As I step away from general manager at Brick Lane to embark on new adventures, I want to take a moment to reflect on this incredible journey,' he wrote on Facebook at the time. 'From a slab of concrete to conceptualising a new vision, redesigning, and eventually transforming this space into a true spaceship, it's been a ride that I will always be proud of. 'It has been an honour to be part of something so transformative, and I am truly proud of all that we've accomplished together. 'Thank you to the incredible team I had the privilege of building at Brick Lane - your dedication and hard work made all the difference.' Resurfaced social media photographs show Ahchee smiling alongside buxom Bachelor contestant turned Bali influencer Kiki Morris. Morris rose to fame on the Richie Strahan season of The Bachelor in 2016, and returned to the franchise on Bachelor in Paradise in 2020. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is offering consular assistance to an Australian in Bali. One of Ahchee's lawyers told reporters last week his client was 'very upset and stressed' at the prospect he could face the death penalty if he is found guilty. He called on police to track down the person who allegedly set up his client. Another of his lawyers Sieny Karmana said that he was 'okay' behind bars despite being shocked about the possibility of the death penalty. 'The family knows now that he is in Bali police headquarters and about the situation that happened to him,' Ms Karmana said. Ms Karmana denied Ahchee was a drug dealer, but said he was a drug user. 'There is no statement that he is a drug dealer, but he is a user,' she said. Ahchee's arrest comes five months after the remaining members of the Bali Nine returned to Australia following their conviction for smuggling heroin in 2005. Matthew Norman, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, Scott Rush and Michael Czugaj flew back to Australia on a Jetstar commercial flight in December last year. The Aussies were arrested alongside Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and Renae Lawrence in Bali in April 2005. Ringleaders Chan and Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in April 2015. Stephens' former cellmate Nguyen died in a Jakarta hospital in 2018 following a battle with cancer. Lawrence, who was the only member not to get a death sentence or life behind bars, was released in 2018 after her sentence was reduced to 20 years on appeal. The group attempted to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin strapped to their bodies from the holiday island.
