UK cannabis seizures surge amid lenient laws abroad

Police are concerned that lenient cannabis laws abroad are causing a significant rise in passengers attempting to smuggle the drug into the UK in their luggage.

This year alone, border officials have confiscated 15 tons of cannabis from passengers at UK airports, marking a 650 percent increase compared to the total amount seized in 2022. Arrests for importing cannabis by air have also surged by 700 percent, rising from 17 people in 2022 to 136 in 2023, with 378 people arrested so far this year.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) reported that drug couriers have been intercepted returning from countries like the US, Canada, and Thailand, where cannabis is more accessible legally. Drug gangs are increasingly sourcing cannabis from these countries because it is cheaper and can be marketed as a superior product.

Smugglers, often persuaded by organised crime gangs, have become so bold that they scarcely bother to hide the drug in their luggage. Charles Yates, Deputy Director of Borders and Commodities at the NCA, noted a sharp increase in individuals flying into the UK with cannabis in their luggage, with many walking through airports with suitcases full of the drug. This has led to a significant rise in arrests for cannabis importation, with current figures more than double those for the whole of 2023.

Last year, most smugglers were British and American nationals, but this year, the majority are British, Malaysian, and Canadian. Around half of the arrests this year (184) involved cannabis originating from Thailand, with 75 related to cannabis from Canada and 47 from the US. Typically, suspects carry between 15kg and 40kg of the drug in their suitcases.

The NCA said drug gangs often downplay the risk of imprisonment when recruiting couriers, suggesting they are unlikely to face more than a fine if caught. Cannabis remains the most widely used illegal drug in the UK, with approximately 2.5 million people aged 16 to 59 reporting usage in 2023.

Several seizures have revealed tracking devices in the luggage, enabling criminals to monitor their illicit loads. This month, Birmingham Airport saw 11 British passengers caught with a total of 510kg of cannabis in 28 suitcases on a single day. These passengers had travelled from Thailand via Paris and were all arrested.

The NCA is monitoring the relaxation of drug laws in other countries to assess its impact on the UK drug trade. Germany became the largest European country to partially decriminalise cannabis in April.