A professional footballer has been arrested in Scotland on suspicion of orchestrating an attempt to import £600,000 worth of cannabis from Thailand, CNN reports.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, 33, who currently plays for Greenock Morton in the Scottish Championship, was detained by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in Gourock, Inverclyde, on Wednesday morning. The operation was supported by Police Scotland.
Emmanuel-Thomas, born in London, started his career at Arsenal and has played for several clubs including Ipswich Town, Bristol City, QPR, Livingston and Aberdeen.
Following his arrest, Emmanuel-Thomas was taken to Carlisle for questioning and has since been charged with importing Class B drugs. He is due to appear before Carlisle Magistrates’ Court later today.
The NCA confirmed that the cannabis, weighing 60kg, was seized at Stansted Airport on September 2. Two women, aged 28 and 32, were also arrested and charged in connection with the incident. They appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court and were bailed until their next appearance at Chelmsford Crown Court on October 1.
The NCA outlined the scale of the operation, stating that the amount of cannabis seized so far in 2024 is already over three times more than the entire 2023 total.
“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,” David Phillips, NCA senior investigating officer, said.
