Five London men have been convicted for their role in a plot to smuggle cannabis worth more than £13.8 million into the UK, concealed inside 22 suitcases. The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed the convictions following investigations by Border Force officers at Birmingham Airport.
Gang members caught at Birmingham Airport
Carsten Kyei, 21, from Newham; Ryan Boachie, 32, from Edmonton; Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, from Dagenham; Jaden Ramen, 23, from Colliers Wood; and Jamal Clarke, 22, from Walthamstow were among 11 individuals arrested in August 2024. Border Force officers intercepted the group as they attempted to leave the airport after arriving on the same flights from Thailand via Paris.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that each courier carried two suitcases, each packed with 20 kilograms of cannabis, totalling 460 kilograms. The suitcases were so heavy that the couriers had to pay an excess baggage charge at Bangkok Airport to place them in the hold.
Tracking devices and suspicious travel patterns
Each suitcase contained a thin layer of clothing above the vacuum-packed cannabis, and eight of them were fitted with Apple Air Tag trackers. NCA investigators determined that all trackers were linked to the same Apple ID account.
Suspicions were raised when Border Force officers noted that four different passengers had travelled from Birmingham to Paris earlier the same day, each carrying two large suitcases. The Border Force fully staffed the Nothing To Declare channel and arrested the gang as they walked out of the airport.
One courier was reportedly told: "My man gonna be on the other side – don’t leave the airport until you see him leave. Even if your bags are there, just let them go round on the belt, go toilet, etc., etc."
Other convicted individuals and court proceedings
Other individuals convicted at Birmingham Crown Court include: Bradley Lloyd, 27, and Claire McCullough, 36, both from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Lewis Ross, 35, from Bolton, Lancashire; Nathan Vitorino, 26, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire; Tasia Nelson, 22, from Newquay, Cornwall; and Paige Crisp, 24, from Broomhall, Worcester.
Kyei and Vitorino were convicted on May 26 following a three-week trial, while Ross and Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during that trial. Crisp, Nelson, and Ramen were convicted on Wednesday, August 19, following a four-week trial. McCullough, Boachie, Olumoyegun, and Clarke all pleaded guilty at earlier hearings.
Sentencing dates scheduled
The three individuals convicted on August 19 will be sentenced on October 22. The remaining convicted individuals will be sentenced on September 3.
