CNN
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According to the UK’s National Criminal Agency (NCA), soccer player Jay Emmanuel Thomas has allowed it to coordinate smuggling of 60 kilograms (about 132 pounds) of cannabis, worth around $800,000 (£600,000).
Emmanuel Thomas, whose previous clubs include Premier League side towns of Arsenal and Ipswich, recruited two women to collect cannabis from Thailand and transport them to the UK, the NCA said in a statement.
The NCA added that the case at Chelmsford Crown Court was postponed to Wednesday and the sentencing date has been confirmed. According to the NCA, the maximum sentence for importing cannabis into the UK is to prisons up to 14 years.
“Thomas is believed to have been an intermediary between a Thai supplier and a British drug pusher,” the NCA said in a press release.
The two women were originally charged with cannabis smuggling. However, the pair believe they each transported gold in two suitcases, according to the NCA, and were acquitted without evidence provided to them. They were detained after arriving from Bangkok.
CNN Sports contacted Emmanuel Thomas for further comment.
The 34-year-old forward was playing for Greenock Morton on Scotland’s side around the time he was arrested last September. The club then ended its contract immediately.
“Organized crime groups make significant profits by trafficking and selling high-quality cannabis illegally grown in the UK in the US, Canada and Thailand,” said David Phillips, senior NCA investigator, in a statement.
“An organized criminal like Thomas is very persuasive and can provide payments to courier services. But the risk of being caught is very high and isn’t worth it.”
Emmanuel Thomas signed Greenock Morton in July on a six-month deal. He went through Arsenal’s academy as a youth player and previously played for several British clubs, including Bristol City, Queen’s Park Rangers and Cardiff City.
