Volleyball pro is one of 11 charged with trying to smuggle cannabis

A volleyball pro is among eleven people who have been charged with attempting to smuggle 300 kilos of cannabis into the UK over the span of two days. 

Athlete, Raekelle Powell, 22, was one of several people apprehended after allegedly trying to smuggle class B drugs into the country via Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

The Canadian, who was flying from Toronto to Britain last Saturday, was the third person to be arrested that day for smuggling, after 19 kilos of cannabis was found in her suitcases.

Paige Jonas-Willingham, 21, of no fixed abode and Paul Lambert, 24, of Salford were also arrested and later charged for smuggling class B drugs on a flight from Bangkok earlier that day.

Several others were also arrested by Border Force officers and later questioned by National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators before being charged last weekend.

Californian, Victoria Roberson, 35 was stopped after officers allegedly unearthed approximately 36 kilos of cannabis in her checked-in luggage on September 21. 

The following day, Siobhan McTavey, 24, from Northern Ireland, arrived on a flight from Bangkok via Doha - with 45 kilos of the drug reportedly being found in her luggage.

Malaysian national Chew Meu Wong, 42, arrived from Bangkok via Bahrain and was arrested after 43 kilos of cannabis was allegedly found in a bag.

Canadian nationals Christopher Duffell, 44, and Tania Fetherston, 51, who arrived on a flight from Toronto via Copenhagen, were arrested after 30.7 kilos and 34.7 kilos of the drug were allegedly found in luggage.

Malaysian national Siew Fong Chua, 33, who arrived on a flight from Bangkok, was also apprehended after they were discovered to be reportedly carrying 17.1 kilos of the drug.

Two flyers were arrested at Gatwick after bags containing 20 bags of cannabis were seized. 

Peter Kargbo, 22, from Wolverhampton, who had arrived on a flight from Bangkok on Saturday, while 29-year-old Canadian national Malik Barrett, had arrived on a flight from Toronto the following day.

Volleyball pro Powell, McTavey, Jonas Willingham, Lambert, Roberson appeared at Magistrates Court yesterday. 

Chua, Fetherston, Duffell and Wong also appeared at the court that same day. All of these individuals were remanded until their next hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on October 24. 

Barrett and Kargbo also appeared at Croydon Magistrates Court on Tuesday, and they were also remanded until their next hearing at Croydon Crown Court. 

Kargbo will be remanded until his appearance on October 21, while Barrett will appear on October 28.

Seventeen people have been arrested and charged for attempting to traffic 618 kilos of cannabis into the UK, according to the NCA.

Among those charged includes professional footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Nathaniel Benson, who are currently in custody ahead of their next court appearance. 

The number of arrests being made as well as the amount of cannabis being seized in the UK so far in 2024 is three times the total of 2023. 

The rapid rise of these drugs being discovered comes as thug gangs who have access to cannabis grown legally abroad are recruiting couriers to ship the drug to the UK, for a greater product.

The NCA previously warned jet setters travelling to the UK from Canada, the USA and Thailand that they could face time behind bars for trying to smuggle the drug.

NCA Branch Commander Andy Noyes said: 'The NCA continues to warn people attempting to smuggle huge quantities of cannabis into the country.

'The gangs behind the trafficking of cannabis into the UK do not care that the couriers will likely be arrested and end up in prison – their sole purpose is to make money.

'Anyone who attempts to smuggle drugs into the UK needs to know that you will be identified, you will be arrested and you will spend time in prison.'

The NCA continues to collaborate with officers in the UK and abroad to tackle high-risk routes, unearth shipments and foil the plans of criminal gangs. 

They encourage anyone with information of drug smuggling via UK ports to report it - which can be done anonymously - via the Border Force's Customs Hotline on 0800 595 000.