Leeds man charged with drug smuggling after flying into Heathrow Airport from Bangkok, Thailand, with his children

Nathaniel Benson, 45, arrived into Heathrow Airport on Wednesday (September 18), having flown from Bangkok in Thailand.

A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency said: “He was arrested after Border Force officers located 160 packages in the suitcases.

“His two children were travelling with him, and one bag had been checked in under one of their names.”

In total more than 100 kilos of cannabis was recovered, which would have had a street value of around £1 million if sold on the streets in the UK.

After being interviewed by NCA investigators Benson was charged with importing class B drugs. He was due to appear before Uxbridge Magistrates Court today (September 20).

A 41-year-old woman from Harrogate, who was travelling with him, was also arrested but later bailed.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Ian Truby said: “Working with our partners in Border Force, we continue to clamp down on anyone involved in drugs smuggling. This includes both the couriers and the organised criminals behind importations like this one.

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“I would urge anyone who is approached to carry out such smuggling attempts to seriously think about the consequences of their actions, which will include a prison sentence if caught and convicted.”

In August the NCA issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the United States that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to bring cannabis into the country, after a huge upsurge in arrests. 

The amount of cannabis seized so far in 2024 is already over three times more than in the whole of 2023. 

The maximum sentence for cannabis importation in the UK is up to 14 years in prison.