Footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas pleads to blame to £600,000 hashish importation rate

Footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has pleaded to blame to a hashish importation rate over an try to smuggle £600,000 of the drug via Stansted airport from Thailand.

The 34-year-old striker used to be sacked by way of Scottish Championship aspect Greenock Morton after his arrest ultimate yr. The participant who got here during the Arsenal academy and used to be given his skilled debut by way of Arsène Wenger in 2010, additionally performed for Ipswich, Bristol City and QPR ahead of transferring north of the border. He modified his plea to to blame at a listening to on 7 May which means his case can now be reported after reporting restrictions have been lifted on Wednesday.

Emmanuel-Thomas pleaded to blame at Chelmsford crown court docket to fraudulent evasion of the prohibition at the importation of hashish between 1 July 2024 and 2 September 2024.

He had in the past denied the fees when requested to go into a plea in October ultimate yr.
The footballer, who has additionally performed for Scottish golf equipment Livingston and Aberdeen and Thai aspect PTT Rayong, used to be remanded in custody forward of his sentencing on a date to be fastened.

Emmanuel-Thomas, of Cardwell Road, Gourock, Inverclyde, Scotland, used to be arrested within the the town by way of National Crime Agency (NCA) officials in September 2024. His arrest got here after the NCA seized an estimated £600,000 of the category B drug because it used to be being smuggled via Stansted on 2 September.

Border Force officials detected more or less 60kg (132lb) of the drug in two suitcases, which had arrived by means of a flight from Bangkok, Thailand. Co-defendants Rosie Rowland and Yasmin Piotrowska, who each denied the rate, face no additional motion after prosecutors presented no proof of their case.

Prosecutor David Josse KC stated that “at all material times they maintained both before the events that led to the importation and after the events they said they thought they were importing gold not cannabis”.

Judge Christopher Morgan directed that now not to blame verdicts be recorded when it comes to Rowland and Piotrowska and so they walked loose from the dock. Rowland, 29, of Southend Road, Chelmsford, Essex, and 33-year-old Piotrowska, of Purves Road, Kensal Rise, north-west London, wept after leaving the dock.

Emmanuel-Thomas gave the impression at Wednesday’s listening to by way of video-link from Chelmsford jail. He used to be requested if he want to seem at his sentencing in particular person or by way of video-link and he requested that it’s in particular person, with the date for this listening to to be set administratively.