There are some people who are not phased by the security checks and scanners and brazenly try to smuggle illegal substances through the airport – a number of them have now been nabbed
Thousands of families will be jetting off to and from Manchester Airport for their summer getaways. While most holidaymakers are mindful of the 100ml liquid rule and removing large electrical items from their hand luggage, there are always a few who slip up.
Yet, there are some travellers who seem unfazed by security measures and audaciously attempt to smuggle illegal substances in their luggage. A number of these so-called “tourists” were nabbed by vigilant security teams and police at Manchester Airport.
Among those caught was a pair of friends who claimed their suitcases were brimming with shopping, a woman who flaunted her holiday snaps to staff before being apprehended, and a boxer who accepted an “offer he couldn’t refuse”.
Below is a snapshot of some individuals arrested at Manchester Airport, as highlighted by the Manchester Evening News, though it’s not an exhaustive list.
They claimed they went shopping in New York – their luggage told a different tale
Sophie Bannister, 30, hailing from Withington, and her mate Levi-April Whalley, 31, from Lancashire, appeared to have returned from a fabulous shopping spree in New York, touching down on British turf with suitcases that seemed to overflow with new purchases.
Their suitcases, however, told a starkly different tale. Upon their return to the UK, the pair were caught with over 35kg of cannabis in their baggage.
In April, seated together in the dock, the women clasped hands and wept as the court was informed of their attempt to smuggle the drugs into the country, reports Liverpool Echo.
Both women pleaded guilty to the charge of fraudulent evasion of prohibition. Bannister’s 20-month term was suspended for 18 months, while Whalley was given a 16-month sentence which was also suspended for the same duration. The court heard that both women were susceptible to exploitation due to their personal and financial struggles.
The remorseful friends disclosed to the Mirror the series of events that led them to become entangled in a cannabis smuggling scheme, which seemingly began with a single message on social media.
She flaunted her holiday snaps to staff – then they nicked her
A mum who proudly presented her vacation snaps to officers at Manchester Airport found herself under arrest when they spotted a revealing detail.
Larissa Lins, aged 27, insisted she had travelled to the UK to “research nice places” after transiting through France and Portugal from Brazil. Despite her claims of innocence regarding any illicit activities, the photo gallery she shared with the officials inadvertently revealed her time in France.
While browsing through the images, they came across a snapshot of the “white pellets”. Further investigation revealed that Lins had ingested, concealed, and stashed away a kilogram of narcotics both inside and outside her body.
After admitting to her role in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on importing a class A substance, she was sentenced on October 17 last year. The court informed her that she will “almost inevitably” face deportation back to Brazil after completing 40% of her term.
Boxer behind bars after irresistible offer
A former pugilist and father of two found himself under arrest at Manchester Airport following what he described as “‘an offer he felt he could not refuse”.
Edward Nesbitt, aged 36, was one of two drug mules imprisoned in May, alongside Yoke Woon, subsequent to the seizure of a suitcase crammed with 23 kilos of cannabis at the airport. Manchester Crown Court listened to accounts of how Uber driver Woon arrived with the contraband on a flight from Singapore in March.
He abandoned the suitcase on the luggage belt in Terminal 2, where it was retrieved by Nesbitt, who had landed on a different plane from Amsterdam. Prosecutor Mark Pritchard detailed how Woon, aged 43, touched down at T2 just past 8:30 am on March 4 on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore, using a Malaysian passport.
Friends admir ‘you’re going to see it’ as luggage scrutinised
Two school friends faced the music after a “naïve and stupid” decision following their three-week revelry in Thailand. Lewis Ellis and James Poutch jetted off in April to experience a festival dubbed as “the world’s biggest water fight”.
Upon their return to Manchester Airport via Abu Dhabi, Ellis, 20, and Poutch, 19, were stopped for a luggage inspection.
Ellis didn’t hesitate to confess to customs officers: “I have cannabis in my bag, I may as well tell you because you’re going to see it.”
The search revealed a staggering 37kg of cannabis stashed in their bags. Both Ellis and Poutch were handed suspended sentences at Manchester Crown Court.