Arrests following £5 million cannabis haul at Birmingham Airport
Five men have been arrested in connection with the seizure of more than half a tonne of cannabis at Birmingham Airport.
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The arrested, aged between 21 and 27, were apprehended at separate addresses in the Marsh Farm area of Luton and at one address in Finchley early on Wednesday morning.
The group was suspected of organising the attempted importations in August this year, after which 11 air passengers from various locations in the UK were arrested and bailed pending further enquiries.
The cannabis was found to have a potential street value of around £5 million.
The same month, the National Crime Agency (NCA) issued a warning to travellers arriving in the UK from Thailand, Canada and the USA, that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to smuggle cannabis into the country. The amount of cannabis seized in the UK so far in 2024 is three times more than the whole of 2023.
The men detained on Wednesday remain in custody and are being questioned.
NCA Branch Commander Mick Pope said: "The arrests in Luton and London show that we will leave no stone unturned in our hunt for anyone involved in attempts to smuggle cannabis into the UK, regardless of the level they operate at.
"The gangs behind this trade do not care that couriers will likely be arrested and end up in prison – their sole motivation is financial gain.
"Anyone who tries to smuggle drugs into the UK needs to know that they will be identified, arrested and spend time behind bars."
Anyone with information on the smuggling of drugs through UK ports is urged to report it, anonymously if they prefer, by calling Border Force's Customs Hotline on 0800 595 000.
