Former Arsenal Striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Pleads Guilty to £600,000 Cannabis Smuggling Plot

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, a former Arsenal striker, has admitted to orchestrating a £600,000 cannabis smuggling operation.

The 34-year-old pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court to importing approximately 60 kilograms of cannabis from Thailand into the UK.

The drugs were discovered in two suitcases at London Stansted Airport on September 2, 2024.

Emmanuel-Thomas was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at his home in Gourock, Inverclyde, on September 18, 2024.

Initially denying the charges in October 2024, he changed his plea to guilty during a hearing on May 7, 2025.

Investigations revealed that Emmanuel-Thomas had recruited his girlfriend, Yasmin Piotrowska, and her friend, Rosie Rowland, to travel to Thailand under the pretense of collecting gold. The two women were unaware they were transporting cannabis and were promised £2,500 for the trip. After examining Emmanuel-Thomas’s phone, prosecutors dropped the charges against Piotrowska and Rowland, acknowledging they believed they were importing gold.

Following his arrest, Emmanuel-Thomas’s contract with Scottish club Greenock Morton was terminated.

Throughout his career, he played for several clubs, including Arsenal, Ipswich Town, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, and had stints abroad in Thailand and India.

Emmanuel-Thomas is currently in custody and awaits sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court. The maximum penalty for cannabis importation in the UK is 14 years in prison.