A 21-year-old British-Ghanaian man, Carsten Kyei, has been convicted for his role in a major plot to smuggle cannabis worth an estimated £13.8 million into the United Kingdom through Birmingham Airport.
Kyei, from Newham in East London, was one of 11 couriers involved in the operation, which was uncovered after Border Force officers intercepted the group at Birmingham Airport in August 2024. The couriers had travelled from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Investigators found cannabis packed inside 22 suitcases. According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the total haul weighed about 460 kilograms, with each courier carrying two suitcases containing roughly 20 kilograms of vacuum-packed cannabis concealed beneath a thin layer of clothing.
The luggage was reportedly so heavy that the couriers had to pay excess baggage charges at Bangkok Airport before the suitcases could be placed in the aircraft hold.
Eight of the suitcases also contained Apple AirTag trackers, which investigators established were linked to the same Apple ID account. The tracking devices formed part of evidence highlighting the level of coordination behind the attempted importation.
Border Force officers became suspicious after establishing that four passengers had travelled from Birmingham to Paris Charles de Gaulle earlier on August 9, 2024, with each carrying two large suitcases. Officers subsequently increased staffing at the Nothing to Declare channel and intercepted the group.
Kyei and fellow courier Nathan Vitorino were convicted on May 26, 2026, following a three-week trial. Other members of the group either pleaded guilty or were convicted following subsequent proceedings.
The NCA said the group had been involved in a sophisticated attempt to bring hundreds of kilograms of cannabis into the UK, warning that people recruited as drug couriers face serious criminal consequences.
Kyei is scheduled to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on September 3, alongside other members of the group whose convictions were completed earlier in the proceedings. Three other defendants convicted following a later trial are due to be sentenced on October 22.
The case has also prompted renewed warnings from UK authorities about young people being recruited to transport drugs internationally. The NCA has launched a campaign highlighting the risks associated with carrying cannabis from Thailand to the UK, including the possibility of lengthy imprisonment and lasting damage to employment prospects.
The convictions underline the increasing scrutiny facing international drug-smuggling networks and the risks faced by individuals recruited to act as couriers.
Source: National Crime Agency; court reporting.
