Scottish drug mule with cannabis haul from Thailand dodges jail
Woman caught with 30kg of cannabis after Thai trip avoids prison
A Scottish woman sobbed in court as she avoided jail despite being caught with more than 30 kilogrammes of cannabis stuffed into two suitcases after flying back from Thailand.
The woman, 22 year old Kiala Wyles, was promised £10,000 (approximately 450,000 baht) to act as a courier but was intercepted by Border Force officials when she landed at Manchester Airport on July 24. The drugs, worth around £79,000 wholesale, were hidden inside 26 vacuum-sealed packages.
At Manchester Crown Court on Friday, August 22, Wyles wept uncontrollably as the judge handed her a suspended sentence, sparing her immediate imprisonment.
Prosecutor Caitlin Stiles told the court that Wyles, a care home worker from Stirling, had flown out of Edinburgh Airport and spent three weeks in Thailand before returning via Dubai. When officers checked her luggage, they uncovered 30.28kg of cannabis packed into the cases.
Wyles told officials she had no idea the bags contained drugs, later admitting she had been contacted via social media with the offer of free flights, a holiday in Thailand, and £10,000 in cash for transporting the luggage.
Defending, Olivia Gatfield described Wyles as “remorseful and embarrassed,” insisting her client had played only a “limited function under direction.” She argued that Wyles had been under financial strain, using cannabis, cocaine and ketamine, and that her life had “spiralled out of control.”
Gatfield said the young woman’s troubled background included a father who had been to prison, along with her own struggles with anxiety, depression and personality disorder.
Recorder Jeremy Lasker accepted that Wyles had shown “genuine remorse” and that she had already spent a month in custody. He noted there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation” and decided against imposing an immediate custodial sentence.
“This is one of those rare cases where I’m actually going to give you a chance. It may be that I’m making the wrong decision. But I balance the prospects of rehabilitation against the damage more prison time could cause to your mental health.”
Through tears, Wyles replied: “Thank you, your honour.”
Her sister, also in tears, watched from the public gallery.
Manchester Evening News reported that Wyles was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete a 12-month community payback scheme in Scotland after admitting one charge of importing Class B drugs.
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