WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SMUGGLING £512,000 OF CANNABIS FROM THAILAND

Amy Jayne Durban, aged 45, of Hemyock in Devon, pleaded guilty to smuggling Class B drugs at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, 6 August. Durban was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 6 July after arriving on a flight from Bangkok with two suitcases containing 51.2 kilograms of cannabis, valued at £512,000. Days before her arrest, she posted on Facebook: "On her way home to cut the grass if ya know what I mean. No ETA so you won't know I'm about to hit your lawn." She is remanded in custody pending sentencing on 14 October.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), recorded cannabis smuggling via air passenger arrivals has increased significantly in recent years. The NCA stated that 142 smugglers were caught at UK airports in 2023, rising to 801 in 2024 and 976 in 2025. The agency reported that 600 air passenger couriers were arrested at UK airports in the first six months of this year alone. The NCA said organised crime groups typically recruit couriers via social media, offering free holidays and spending money in exchange for transporting cannabis, which other criminals then distribute.

Mark Abbott, senior investigating officer at the NCA, stated that those caught face serious consequences including prison sentences and criminal convictions affecting future employment and travel prospects. The NCA announced a joint crackdown with Thai partners, under which those caught smuggling cannabis in Thailand face fines of approximately £680 per kilogram, or up to two years imprisonment if fines are not paid. Abbott said cannabis smuggling profits fund trafficking of other drugs, which fuels wider crime and has damaging effects on communities.