Ex-MK Dons loanee in court after £600,000 of cannabis discovered at airport

Former MK Dons loanee Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been charged with orchestrating the attempted importation of drugs after £600,000 of cannabis was found in bags at Stansted airport.

The 33-year-old played four games for Dons during his loan spell at the club in 2016, and was pegged as one of the key signings in the January transfer window to help the club stave off relegation from the Championship.

Now at Greenock Morten, Emmanuel-Thomas was arrested on Wednesday and questioned in Carlisle before appearing in court this morning (Thursday), where he denied involvement in any plans to import drugs to the UK.

The allegations come after two women, who travelled business class to the UK from Bangkok via Dubai, were arrested following the discovery of the drugs, with one of them being the partner of Emmanuel-Thomas.

A total of 60kg of cannabis were discovered in four suitcases found by the National Crime Agency. After being questioned by the NCA both were charged with drug importation offences. They appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates and were bailed to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 1 October.

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.”