A WOMAN from Northern Ireland is one of 11 people charged with attempting to smuggle cannabis through two London airports at the weekend.
Siobhan McTavey, 24, was detained after arriving into London on Sunday on a flight from Bangkok via Doha when Border Force officers found 45kg of the drug in baggage.
"The gangs behind the trafficking of cannabis into the UK do not care that the couriers will likely be arrested and end up in prison — their sole purpose is to make money," said National Crime Agency (NCA) Branch Commander Andy Noyes.
Seizures
The 11 seizures of cannabis made by Border Force officers at Heathrow and Gatwick airports at the weekend totalled more than 300kg.
The drugs McTavey is accused of attempting to smuggle represented the joint-largest off all the seizures.
She was among seven people detained on Sunday who, between them, are accused of attempting to smuggle more than 210kg of the drug into Britain.
The others included three Canadian nationals who arrived on flights from Toronto and two Malaysian nationals and a man from Wolverhampton who arrived on flights from Bangkok.
The previous day, four people were detained over three seizures made at the airports totalling 100kg.
Two people, including one from Salford, were held after arriving on a flight from Bangkok via Muscat.
A woman from California, USA, was detained after officers discovered around 36kg of cannabis in checked-in baggage.
Meanwhile, Raekelle Powell, 22, a professional volleyball player from Toronto, arrived on a flight from the city and was stopped after officers discovered around 19kg of cannabis in suitcases.
Powell and McTavey was among nine of the accused to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
All were remanded into custody before their next appearance at Isleworth Crown Court on October 24.
The other two accused appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and were remanded into custody before their next appearances at Croydon Crown Court on October 21 and 28.
Arrest threat
In August, the NCA issued a warning to travellers arriving into Britain from Thailand, Canada and the USA that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to smuggle cannabis into the country.
However, arrests are still being made and the amount of cannabis seized in Britain so far this year is three times more than the whole of 2023.
The NCA say the increase in seizures is fuelled by organised crime gangs who have access to cannabis grown overseas in locations where it is legal.
They recruit couriers to transport it to Britain where it can generate greater profit for them than growing the drugs themselves.
"The NCA continues to warn people attempting to smuggle huge quantities of cannabis into the country," said Mr Noyes.
He added: "Anyone who attempts to smuggle drugs into the UK needs to know that you will be identified, you will be arrested and you will spend time in prison."
