Former Arsenal star arrested for alleged plot to smuggle £600,000 worth of cannabis – Reports

Former Arsenal forward Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been arrested by the police for allegedly attempting to smuggle £600,000 worth of cannabis into the UK. The 33-year-old forward, who is a product of Arsenal's academy and only made five appearances for the club’s senior team, was reportedly arrested shortly after 8 a.m. on Wednesday (September 18).

As per GOAL, Emmanuel-Thomas was accused of importing class B drugs and is expected to appear before Carlisle Magistrates Court on Thursday after being held in police custody. The arrest was made by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in Gourock, Inverclyde, while the smuggling allegedly took place at Stansted Airport.

As per another report by the Independent, Border patrol officers allegedly found 60 kg of cannabis in two suitcases, which had arrived via a flight from Bangkok, Thailand. Two women aged 28 and 32 respectively, were also charged over the incident. However, both women were given bail and ordered to appear before Chelmsford Crown Court on October 1.

NCA senior investigating officer David Phillips said the below:

"The NCA continues to work with partners like Border Force to target those involved in drug smuggling - that includes both the couriers and the organizers. We would appeal to anyone who is approached to engage in any kind of smuggling to think very carefully about the likely consequences of their actions, and the potentially life-changing risks they will be taking."

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said that the amount of cannabis it has confiscated this year is three times more than what it seized in 2023.

The agency also said that drug couriers are often report being informed by their superiors that they will only be fined if they are prosecuted for smuggling when the actual penalty for smuggling cannabis into the UK is 14 years behind bars.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas currently plies his trade with Scottish club Greenock Morton. He left Arsenal in 2011 and has played for a plethora of football clubs, including Queen Park Rangers, Bristol City, Ipswich Town, MK Dons, Livingston, Aberdeen, and Jamshedpur FC.

How Jay Emmanuel-Thomas fared at Arsenal

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas joined Arsenal at the tender age of eight, playing with the club’s youth team. At 16, he became the captain of the under-18 youth team and was promoted to the club’s senior team in 2009.

Before he was promoted to Arsenal’s senior team, his time at the youth level was a glamorous one. In the 2008-09 season, he captained the youth team as they were crowned Premier Academy League champions. He also won the FA Youth Cup that same season with the club, as he scored in every round.

However, his time with the senior team was disrupted by multiple loan moves. He couldn’t get enough minutes and was loaned to different clubs, including Blackpool, Doncaster Rovers, and Cardiff. He departed Arsenal permanently in 2011 to join Ipswich Town.