Almost 1,000 British drug mules were arrested at UK airports smuggling cannabis from abroad last year – seven times the amount two years earlier.
The record number of arrests stood at 976 – up from 142 in 2023 – and in the six months to June this year the figure was already at 600, according to police figures. The vast majority of arrests involve those returning from Thailand.
Detectives say many of those persuaded to smuggle are seduced on social media with the promise of a free holiday and then forced to bring back cannabis in their luggage. The average street value
To provide well-rounded coverage and a breadth of insight across various events, we rely on contributions from several staff writers, each bringing their own area of expertise to our publication.