Alexander LawrieScots caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand will have to pay new fines or face up to two years in jail.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has been working with Thai authorities and the Home Office following an “explosion” in the number of drug couriers trying to smuggle cannabis into the country.
Thailand decriminalised possession of cannabis in 2022, but it remains illegal to export without the correct permissions.
Border Force’s cannabis seizures are at a record high across the UK, having increased by 50% in the last year.
600 air passenger couriers have been arrested at UK airports in the first six months of 2026 alone.
Under the new fines regime, smugglers will have to pay Thai Customs 30,000 Baht (around £680) per kilo of cannabis.
The “average” smuggler is caught in Thailand with 26 kilos, equalling a fine of £17,680, and if not paid, will lead to a criminal prosecution with up to two years in jail.
Scots caught smuggling
The fines regime began on June 17 and follows a number of prosecutions in Scotland.
Social media influencer Ellie Crampsie was jailed for 16 months in April after attempting to smuggle more than £150,000 of cannabis through Edinburgh Airport.
The 23-year-old was found to have over 17kg of the Class B drug stashed in her luggage as she travelled home from a holiday in Thailand last year.
Airport officials discovered 17 separate sealed packages containing 17.7kg of cannabis with a total value of the drugs estimated at between £115,000 and £151,000.
SpindriftRobin Wild was jailed for three years at the High Court in Glasgow in May for trying to smuggle £200,000 of cannabis into Scotland from Thailand.
The 26-year-old was caught with 40 vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis in a suitcase at Edinburgh Airport on June 16 last year.
Wild claimed he was paid by a Scottish man in Thailand to smuggle the drugs into the country.
Nathan Reid and Kian Jennings, who flew into Edinburgh Airport on Christmas Day carrying cannabis worth almost £1 million, were each jailed for two years in May.
The men from London had flown from Thailand, via Germany, to arrive in Edinburgh on December 25, 2024. Each claimed they had been abroad for a week and travelled alone. Both also said they had been in Bangkok to meet an unnamed friend.
Free holidays
Most UK cannabis couriers are approached by crime groups on social media.
They are offered free holidays and spending money in exchange for smuggling cannabis.
Beki Wright, head of the NCA’s Borders Threat Team, warned that those caught will be kept in Thai detention until they have found the money to pay the new fines or face two years in jail.
“The crime group that paid you to smuggle it will leave you high and dry”, she said.
“If convicted, you face potentially life-changing jail sentences both in the UK and especially abroad. You’ll also have a criminal record, which could wreck future job prospects and your ability to travel abroad.
“It just isn’t worth the risk.”
Thailand has emerged as the leading source country of imported cannabis, overtaking the USA and Canada in 2024.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its Travel Advice for Thailand to reflect the new penalties and remind travellers of the serious consequences of attempting to smuggle cannabis.
British Embassy Bangkok deputy head of Mission, David Thomas, said: “British Embassy Bangkok has been supporting British nationals detained in Thailand for attempting to export cannabis illegally since the introduction of the fine regime.
“Our work with the Thai authorities is essential to enable the Embassy’s clear communication with detained British Nationals, support appropriate and efficient case handling, and ensure individuals understand the serious legal and personal consequences involved.”
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