Eleven drugs couriers have been convicted for their role in a plot to smuggle cannabis worth £13.8 million into the United Kingdom through Birmingham Airport.

The National Crime Agency investigated the group after Border Force officers arrested them in August 2024 and seized the Class B drug packed into 22 suitcases.

The couriers arrived on the same flights from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Each carried two suitcases containing about 20 kilograms of cannabis, bringing the total weight to 460 kilograms. The bags were so heavy that excess baggage charges were paid at Bangkok Airport.

The cannabis was vacuum-packed and hidden beneath a thin layer of clothing. Eight of the suitcases also contained Apple AirTag trackers linked to the same Apple ID account.

Suspicions were raised when Border Force noticed four passengers who had earlier travelled from Birmingham to Paris with large empty suitcases.

Among those convicted were Carsten Kyei, Bradley Lloyd, Claire McCullough, Lewis Ross, Nathan Vitorino, Ryan Boachie, Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, Tasia Nelson, Jaden Ramen, Paige Crisp and Jamal Clarke. Some pleaded guilty, while others were found guilty after trial.

NCA senior investigating officer Paul Boniface said the operation showed the sophisticated planning involved and warned that anyone approached to smuggle drugs into the UK would face justice. Sentencing for the group is scheduled for September and October.