NCAA man has been hailed after he was caught trying to smuggle over £400,000 through Glasgow Airport.
Zane Jamahl Hutton-Lewis arrived at the travel hub from Thailand on January 21, 2025.
The 34-year-old, from Haringey, London, had 43.8kg of the Class B drug hidden inside his luggage.
He was arrested by Border Force officers, and an investigation was launched by the Scottish Organised Crime Partnership – a team of officers from the National Crime Agency and Police Scotland.
On Friday, Hutton-Lewis pled guilty at Paisley Sheriff Court, resulting in his sentence being reduced from 18 months to 12 months.
Those caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand now have to pay huge new fines or face up to two years behind bars.
The new Thai policy, launched on June 17, is in response to an “explosion” in the number of drug couriers trying to smuggle cannabis.
600 air passenger couriers were 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 behind bars.
Beki Wright, Head of the NCA’s Borders Threat Team, warned would-be couriers – who are normally recruited on social media – to think again.
She said: “You will be kept in Thai detention until you have found the money to pay or for two years.
“The crime groups that paid you to smuggle it will leave you high and dry.
“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.”
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