Former Greenock footballer jailed for £600k drug smuggling plot
Today, he was sentenced to four years in custody when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court.
(Image: National Crime Agency)
David Philips, NCA senior investigating officer, said: 'We urge anyone asked to bring something into the UK that they're unsure of to simply say no.
'Organised criminals like Thomas are invariably very persuasive with promises of payments and other enticements to couriers.
'But the risk of getting caught is very high, and it simply isn't worth the risk. Crime groups make significant profits by trafficking and selling perceived high-quality cannabis legally grown in the US, Canada and Thailand illegally in the UK.'
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Last month, Thomas, of Gourock, admitted to orchestrating the plot which saw him recruit two women to travel to Thailand, where cannabis was collected and smuggled to the UK
Thomas's girlfriend Yasmin Piotrowska, 33, and her friend Rosie Rowland, 29, were stopped by Border Force officers at Stansted Airport in London after landing on a flight from Bangkok on September 2.
They had two suitcases each, which were searched and a total of 60kg of cannabis – 15kg in each bag – was recovered.
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(Image: National Crime Agency)
Piotrowska, of Kensal Green in London and Rowland, of Chelmsford in Essex, were then charged with smuggling cannabis.
However, the Crown and Procurator Fiscal service dropped the case against the pair, who said they believed they were transporting gold.
The NCA say it is believed that Thomas – who also played for PTT Rayong in Thailand in 2019 – was the intermediary between suppliers in Thailand and drug pushers in the UK.
The investigation revealed that with Thomas's encouragement, the women had made a near identical trip – all expenses paid – a few months earlier in July.
They were also promised a payment of £2500.
After being arrested last September, Thomas said unprompted: 'I just feel sorry for the girls.'
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