High-flyers grounded: British couple’s cannabis holiday smoked

Spanish cops bust Brits with 33kg of weed in ‘tourist’ luggage from Thailand

Bob Scott2 hours agoLast Updated: Tuesday, May 27, 2025

210 2 minutes read

High-flyers grounded: British couple’s cannabis holiday smoked — Picture courtesy of SOLARPIX

A British couple’s sun, sea and suitcase full of skunk getaway came crashing down at Valencia Airport after Spanish police found more than 33 kilogrammes of cannabis stuffed in their bags, with not a pair of flip flops or suncream in sight.

The pair, who claimed to be tourists flying in from Thailand via France, were nabbed by eagle-eyed officers who spotted their jittery behaviour after landing in Spain.

The man and woman, whose identities haven’t been released, were pulled aside for questioning after customs officials noticed their “nervous and evasive attitude” and a strangely light claim to be on holiday, carrying two bulging bags and “nothing to declare.”

When their luggage went through airport scanners, suspicions soared. Instead of beach towels and bikinis, the suitcases were crammed full of vacuum-packed cannabis, no personal belongings, no clothing, just a green mountain of contraband weighing in at 33.5kg, The Daily Mail reported.

Spanish Civil Guard officials confirmed the bust in a statement.

“The Civil Guard and Tax Agency have arrested two people on a flight from France for carrying more than 33 kilogrammes of vacuum-packed marijuana in their suitcases. The two passengers, a British man and woman, were displaying a nervous and evasive attitude and were stopped before they reached customs control.

“They said they were coming from Thailand and were entering Spain as tourists and had nothing to declare. Their suitcases were scanned, revealing large quantities of organic material but no clothes or personal items. The substance tested positive for cannabis.”

The couple were arrested at the scene and remanded in custody pending trial on drug trafficking charges.

High-flyers grounded: British couple’s cannabis holiday smoked | News by Thaiger

Their downfall is the latest in a growing trend of British nationals, particularly young women, caught smuggling cannabis across international borders.

Just last week, a 23 year old British woman was arrested in Ghana after allegedly attempting to fly nearly 18kg of cannabis back to the UK. Around the same time, 18 year old Bella May Culley, who vanished on a supposed trip to Thailand, was found behind bars in Georgia with 14kg of cannabis.

Meanwhile, 21 year old Charlotte Lee May, a former flight attendant from South London, was arrested in Sri Lanka after customs officers uncovered a whopping 46kg of high-grade ‘Kush’ in her luggage. She now faces up to 25 years in the brutal Negombo Prison.

With cases stacking up across the globe, British officials and foreign governments are tightening the net but it seems some smugglers are still betting on high-risk routes and holiday covers.

For this unfortunate pair in Valencia, their carefree cannabis ‘getaway’ now looks set to end in a very different kind of long-haul trip, straight to a Spanish prison cell.

Bob Scott

Bob Scott is an experienced writer and editor with a passion for travel. Born and raised in Newcastle, England, he spent more than 10 years in Asia. He worked as a sports writer in the north of England and London before relocating to Asia. Now he resides in Bangkok, Thailand, where he is the Editor-in-Chief for The Thaiger English News. With a vast amount of experience from living and writing abroad, Bob Scott is an expert on all things related to Asian culture and lifestyle.