A British woman has been sentenced to prison after authorities discovered over 30 kilograms of cannabis in her luggage upon her return to Manchester from Thailand. The case highlights the severe consequences of drug trafficking between Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom.
Louisa De Marco, 53, was stopped by UK Border Force officers on 8 May at Manchester Airport. Officials found two suitcases packed with cannabis, a Class B controlled substance under UK law. According to testimony at Manchester Crown Court, De Marco claimed she believed the bags contained tobacco and denied ownership of the drugs.
Prosecutor Chloe Fordham told the court that De Marco had travelled to Thailand—where cannabis laws differ significantly from the UK—on a flight paid for by individuals she met on a previous trip. During police interviews, De Marco said she was offered £10,000 to transport cannabis into Britain but maintained she never received the payment.
While Thailand has recently relaxed some regulations on cannabis for medical and industrial use, exporting the drug without authorisation remains illegal and carries serious penalties in both Thailand and destination countries.
De Marco declined to share the PIN code for her mobile phone with investigators, further complicating the inquiry into her contacts. The judge, Recorder Sarah Griffin, described the case as serious, stating that De Marco had embarked on the trip “with her eyes wide open.”
“You knew exactly what you were involving yourself in,” the judge remarked before imposing a 20-month sentence, of which De Marco is expected to serve half in custody.
De Marco pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug. Her conviction comes amid an ongoing pattern of British nationals facing arrest abroad for drug offences. Travellers to Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries are advised to be aware of strict international drug laws and the serious consequences of smuggling narcotics across borders.
