Ghanaian, 10 others, convicted over plot to smuggle £13.8m cannabis into UK

A 21-year-old British-Ghanaian, Carsten Kyei, has been convicted for his role in a plot to smuggle cannabis worth £13.8 million into the United Kingdom through Birmingham Airport. Kyei, from Newham in East London, was among 11 couriers investigated by the National Crime Agency after Border Force officers intercepted the group in August 2024. Ghana's War on Drugs: 14 major busts that shook the nation since 2025 According to the National Crime Agency on August 19, 2026, the couriers had arrived in the UK on flights from Thailand through Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, where they were found with 22 suitcases containing a total of 460 kilogrammes of cannabis. Birmingham Crown Court heard that each courier travelled with two suitcases, with each suitcase carrying about 20 kilogrammes of vacuum-packed cannabis hidden beneath a thin layer of clothing. The suitcases were reported to have been so heavy that the couriers had to pay excess baggage charges at Bangkok Airport to have them placed in the aircraft hold. Additionally, investigators were said to have also found Apple AirTag trackers in eight of the suitcases, which were linked to the same Apple ID account. The court heard that the Border Force officers became suspicious after discovering that four different passengers had travelled from Birmingham to Charles de Gaulle earlier on August 9, 2024, each carrying two large suitcases. Officers then fully staffed the Nothing to Declare channel, leading to the seizure of the drugs. Kyei and Nathan Vitorino were convicted on May 26, 2026, after a three-week trial. Lewis Ross and Bradley Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during the same trial. Seven busted in IGP special operations narcotics raid Paige Crisp, Tasia Nelson and Jaden Ramen were also convicted on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, following a four-week trial. Claire McCullough, Ryan Boachie, Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun and Jamal Clarke had earlier pleaded guilty. The three convicted on August 19 are expected to be sentenced on October 22, while Kyei and the other convicted members of the group will be sentenced on September 3. MAG/VPO #TrendingGH: 'Revisit the case' - Netizens react to controversial court ruling Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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