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'This was an enormous amount of cannabis': 11 charged after huge £14 million drugs seizure at Birmingham Airport

Eleven people have been charged after an "enormous amount of cannabis' was seized at a Midland airport worth nearly £14 million.

By Richard Williams
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More than half a tonne of cannabis was seized at Birmingham Airport last year, hidden in suitcases, the National Crime Agency said, which has resulted in a series of arrests across the country.

The individuals, aged between 21 and 35, were arrested after Border Force found the drugs packed into 22 separate suitcases in August 2024. 

All the passengers had travelled from Thailand, transiting at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The cannabis weighed a total of 510 kilos and would have had a UK street value of £13.8 million.

Those charged were:

  • Ryan Boachie (DoB 08/01/1994), of Hendon Road, Edmonton, north London

  • Tasia Nelson (16/06/2004), of Cheviot Road, Newquay, Cornwall

  • Jaden Ramen (08/06/2003), of Myra Close, Colliers Wood, south London

  • Lewis Ross (15/10/1990), of Rupert Street, Bolton, Lancashire

  • Bradley Lloyd (04/10/1998), of Midbrook Walk, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester

  • Clare McCullogh (20/01/1990), of Meliden Crescent, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester

  • Paige Cheri Crisp (07/10/2001), of Grindrod Place, Malvern, Worcestershire

  • Nathan Vitorino (02/02/2000), of Little Hardings, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

  • Jamal Clarke (28/04/2004), of Holloway Circus, Queensway, Birmingham

  • Gideon Olumoyegun (09/05/2000), of Stour Road, Dagenham

  • Carsten Kyei (11/09/2004), of Denmark Street, Newham, east London

Nine appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday (October 31) where they were bailed until their next appearance at Birmingham Crown Court on November 28.

Clare McCullogh’s magistrates court hearing was adjourned until December 5, while Bradley Lloyd failed to appear at court yesterday so magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest.

Six men suspected of organising the attempted importation, five of whom were arrested at addresses in Marsh Farm, Luton, and Finchley in north London on October 23, 2024, remain under investigation.

NCA Branch Commander Kevin Broadhead said: “This was an enormous amount of cannabis to be seized from air passengers and would have been extremely profitable for organised crime gangs had it remain undetected.

“The charges brought against these individuals are an important moment in our investigation, which remains ongoing. 

“Anyone who is asked to smuggle drugs into the UK should think very carefully about the potential consequences if caught. The chances of getting caught are high, and it just isn’t worth that risk.”

If anyone has information on the smuggling of drugs through UK ports or airports they should report it, anonymously if they prefer, by calling Border Force’s Customs Hotline on 0800 595 000.