Emmanuel-Thomas charged after £600,000 of cannabis seized at Stansted

Professional footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been arrested for orchestrating the importation of drugs.

The 33-year-old striker, who currently plays for Greenock Morton, was arrested at his home in Gourock, near Glasgow, on Wednesday and taken to Carlisle for questioning.

He has been remanded in custody and is expected to appear before Carlisle Magistrates on Thursday, accused of importing class B drugs.

It comes after officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) discovered 60kg of cannabis with an estimated value of £600,000 in suitcases arriving at Stansted airport from Bangkok.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is a former England under-17 and under-19 international who has previously played for clubs including Livingston, Aberdeen, Ipswich town, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal and Thai team PTT Rayong.

The striker signed a six-month contract with Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton in July.

His arrest came after the NCA seized an estimated £600,000 of the class B drug after it arrived at Stansted airport in two suitcases from Bangkok in Thailand.

Two women, aged 28 and 32, were arrested at Stansted airport on 2 September following the discovery.

After being questioned by the NCA, both women were charged with drug importation offences.

They appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates Court and were bailed to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 1 October.

In August, the NCA issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the United States that they faced jail sentences if caught attempting to bring cannabis into the country after a surge in arrests.

The agency said the amount of cannabis seized so far in 2024 was already over three times more than in the whole of 2023.

The maximum sentence for cannabis importation in the UK is up to 14 years in prison.

NCA senior investigating officer David Phillips said: "The NCA continues to work with partners like Border Force to target those involved in drug smuggling - that includes both the couriers and the organisers.

"We would appeal to anyone who is approached to engage in any kind of smuggling to think very carefully about the likely consequences of their actions and the potentially life-changing risks they will be taking."