Former Arsenal Striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Charged with Cannabis Importation After £600,000 Seizure

Former Arsenal Striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Charged with Cannabis Importation After £600,000 Seizure

Former Arsenal striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been denied bail after being charged with importing drugs following the seizure of £600,000 worth of cannabis at Stansted Airport.

The 33-year-old, now playing for Greenock Morton, was arrested on Wednesday, September 18, after UK Border Force officials discovered approximately 60 kilograms of cannabis in suitcases arriving from Bangkok on September 2.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed that Emmanuel-Thomas was charged with importing class B drugs. The footballer, a father of two, was transported to Carlisle for questioning and appeared before Deputy District Judge Steven Jonas at the magistrates’ court, where no plea was entered.

Emmanuel-Thomas’s lawyer, Nathaniel Gadsby, stated that the striker “strenuously denies any involvement in the drug importation” and is determined to clear his name at trial.

Two women, aged 28 and 32, were also arrested at Stansted Airport in connection with the case and charged with drug importation offences. Unlike Emmanuel-Thomas, they were granted bail and are set to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on October 1.

David Phillips, Senior Investigating Officer for the NCA, emphasized the agency’s commitment to working with Border Force to combat drug smuggling, warning that those involved in such activities face serious consequences.

Emmanuel-Thomas, who joined Arsenal’s youth academy at age 8, made his Premier League debut in 2010 but later moved on to Ipswich Town for £1.1 million in 2011.