Gideon Olumoyegun, 26, from Dagenham, will be sentenced for his part at court next month
A Nigerian man has been convicted alongside 10 other drug couriers over a plot to smuggle cannabis worth an estimated £13.8 million into the United Kingdom through Birmingham Airport.
Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, from Dagenham, was among the group arrested by Border Force officers in August 2024 after 22 suitcases containing cannabis were intercepted.
Their plot to import cannabis worth £13.8million into the UK was foiled after they were forced to pay excess baggage charges.
More than 400 kilos of the Class B drug was found in 22 suitcases.
A court heard that some of the bags were so heavy that couriers had to pay an excess charge at Bangkok Airport to put them in the hold.
The gang had tried to import the drugs from Thailand via Birmingham Airport but suspicions were raised when Border Force officials spotted four different passengers had travelled from Birmingham to Charles De Gaulle earlier that same day on August 9, 2024.
Border Force then fully staffed the Nothing To Declare channel at Birmingham Airport and made the seizures.
Eleven people were arrested. They each had two bags containing 20 kilos of cannabis.
Officials found each suitcase had a thin layer of clothing above the vacuum-packed cannabis, and eight contained Apple AirTags trackers.
Investigators from the National Crime Agency (NCA) later found the trackers were all connected to the same Apple ID account.
Carsten Kyei with suitcases prior to return flight. He was jailed for two-and-a-half years
Four members of the gang have now been sentenced.
Carsten Kyei, 21, from Newham, east London; Bradley Lloyd, 27, from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Lewis Ross, 35, from Bolton, Lancashire and Nathan Vitorino, 26, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire were jailed for between two and four years at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.
Kyei and Vitorino were convicted in May following a three-week trial while Ross and Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during that trial.
Bradley Lloyd, 27, from Manchester was sentenced to four years imprisonment
Seven more – five men and two women – will be sentenced at the same court next month.
They include Paige Crisp, a 24-year-old mother from Malvern, Worcestershire, who was convicted of attempting to carry, remove, deposit, harbour, keep, conceal and deal with Class B drugs with intent to evade prohibition on importing.
Crisp was one of a group of 11 Brits stopped by Border Force with 460kg worth of drugs found collectively in their luggage
The others are Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, from Dagenham; Ryan Boachie, 32, from Edmonton, north London; Jamal Clarke, 22, from Walthamstow, London; Claire McCullough, 36, from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Jaden Ramen, 23, from Colliers Wood, south London; and Tasia Nelson, 22, from Newquay, Cornwall.
Carsten Kyeia, 21, from London was jailed for two-and-a-half years after he was found guilty
All were charged with carrying cannabis, with intent to evade the prohibition imposed by section 3(1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
NCA senior investigating officer Paul Boniface said afterwards: ‘These sentences show that drug couriers can end up paying a high price for smuggling cannabis to the UK.
‘It is simply not worth the effort, something that social media influencers promoting this lifestyle frequently overlook.
‘With the help of Border Force, we were able to intercept these drugs, deprive the criminal network behind the importation of considerable profits and protect the public from the damaging effects of cannabis.’
Lewis Ross, 35, from Bolton was handed a two-year sentence after he pleaded guilty
Adam Chatfield, Head of Border Force Midlands Command, said: ‘These convictions should be a stark warning to anyone considering bringing cannabis into the UK.
‘The young people involved now have a serious crime on their records, damaging their job prospects and life chances.
‘More than ever, we are working closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas to combat drug smuggling, keep our communities safe and our borders secure.’
Paige Crisp, 24, was convicted of attempting to carry, remove, deposit, harbour, keep, conceal and deal with Class B drugs with intent to evade prohibition