Exclusive:
The National Crime Agency said large marijuana blocks smuggled in from the US, Canada and Thailand are re-packaged as a ‘higher quality’ product and sold at a premium
Dope is flooding into the UK from countries where the Class B drug has been legalized.
Border Force seized 47 tons of herbal cannabis last year – more than the previous three years combined. The National Crime Agency said large marijuana blocks smuggled in from the US, Canada and Thailand are re-packaged as a “higher quality” Californian-grown product and sold at a premium.
Our probe found US cannabis packets littering London streets and there are signs big US sellers are targeting the UK. Last weekend, hundreds openly smoked the drug at a secret, ticketed event in London resembling a trade fair.
Entertainment at the Secret Session’s “High Society” event, advertised on Instagram and whose guests had to be “vouched for”, included rappers and a magician, and there were stalls with cannabis merchandise. Secret Session said representatives from US growers, including Doja and Cadre Verde, had flown over. Cadre Verde, of Sacramento, California, posted a video saying: “Can’t believe we did this! Our first time at a weed event outside the US!”
Doja founder Ryan Bartholemew was at another Secret Session event in March 2023, where he said: “They rented this manor, we sold 300 tickets. We’ve got people here from all over the UK. We had some flavours in the house.” Bartholomew boasted of how his business “went from local to global” and his Instagram “began to get abnormal amounts of traffic from the UK”.
We asked Doja and another US cannabis brand, Sumer, about packs identical to theirs found in the streets. Neither responded. The NCA’s Adam Thomp-son said the UK has about 2.6 million cannabis users and in past year or so “the volume of imported cannabis has shot up exponentially”.
He said there had been an 800% rise in arrests between 2022 and 2023 and 380 air passengers were held in the eight months to August this year. Mr Thompson added: “It is linked to decriminalisation in those countries where there is a legal market. It is cheaper to bring it here than have production costs in the UK. Criminals market this imported cannabis as higher quality, Californian-grown.”
The NCA is working with US, Canadian and Thai authorities and warns traffickers face up to 14 years in prison. Secret Sessions, Doja, Cadre Verde and Sumer were contacted for comment.
