UK court sentences gang members for £13.8 million cannabis plot

Seven members of a drugs smuggling gang have been sentenced following a plot to import approximately £13.8 million worth of cannabis into the United Kingdom via Birmingham Airport.

The National Crime Agency investigated the group after Border Force officers intercepted 22 suitcases containing 460 kilos of cannabis in August 2024. The drugs had arrived from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Investigators discovered that the suitcases, which were heavily weighted and required excess baggage charges in Bangkok, contained vacuum-packed cannabis hidden under a thin layer of clothing. Eight of the suitcases were equipped with Apple AirTag trackers linked to a single Apple ID account.

At Birmingham Crown Court, five individuals—Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, Ryan Boachie, Claire McCullough, Jaden Ramen, and Paige Crisp—received prison sentences ranging from 24 to 32 months. Two additional couriers, Jamal Clarke and Tasia Nelson, were sentenced to 30 months in prison and a 30-month suspended sentence, respectively.