Former Arsenal player appears in court after £6...

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Published Time: 19.09.2024 - 20:41:39 Modified Time: 19.09.2024 - 20:41:39

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas arrested after officers allegedly detected 60kg of drug in two suitcases off flight from Bangkok Former Arsenal striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has appeared in court charged with orchestrating the attempted smuggling of £600,000 worth of cannabis through Stansted Airport

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas arrested after officers allegedly detected 60kg of drug in two suitcases off flight from Bangkok

Former Arsenal striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has appeared in court charged with orchestrating the attempted smuggling of £600,000 worth of cannabis through Stansted Airport.

The 33-year-old, who currently plays for Scottish Championship club Greenock Morton, was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers shortly after 8am on Wednesday in Gourock, Inverclyde.

Emmanuel-Thomas, who also played for the likes of Ipswich Town, Queens Park Rangers and Bristol City before moving to Scotland, did not enter a plea at Carlisle Magistrates Court the following day but his lawyer said: “He does strenuously deny any involvement in any plan to import drugs into the UK. He is eager to clear his name at trial.”

His no-plea was treated as a not-guilty plea but he was remanded in custody after an application for bail was rejected.

Emmanuel-Thomas starred for both Arsenal and England at youth level but made only one senior appearance for the club before leaving in 2011.

The court was told his partner and another woman had been arrested and charged following the seizure of four suitcases containing drugs, which had arrived via a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, on September 2.

They appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates Court and were bailed to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on October 1.

Emmanuel-Thomas had played in Thailand in 2019 before returning to the UK to join Livingston and later Aberdeen.

NCA senior investigating officer David Phillips said: “The NCA continues to work with partners like Border Force to target those involved in drug smuggling – that includes both the couriers and the organisers.

“We would appeal to anyone who is approached to engage in any kind of smuggling to think very carefully about the likely consequences of their actions and the potentially life-changing risks they will be taking.”