510kg of drugs worth £13.8 million seized at Birmingham Airport

Eleven people have been charged in connection with attempting to smuggle more than half a tonne of cannabis worth around £13.8 million into the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The 11 have been charged as part of an ongoing NCA investigation into the seizure of 510 kilos of cannabis at Birmingham Airport in August 2024.

Aged between 21 and 35, they were arrested at Birmingham Airport after Border Force found the drugs packed into 22 separate suitcases, the NCA said.

They had all travelled to the UK from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Those charged were:

– Ryan Boachie, 31, of Hendon Road, Edmonton, north London

– Tasia Nelson, 21, of Cheviot Road, Newquay, Cornwall

– Jaden Ramen, 22, of Myra Close, Colliers Wood, south London

– Lewis Ross, 35, of Rupert Street, Bolton, Lancashire

– Bradley Lloyd, 27, of Midbrook Walk, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester

– Clare McCullogh, 35, of Meliden Crescent, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester

– Paige Cheri Crisp, 24, of Grindrod Place, Malvern, Worcestershire

– Nathan Vitorino, 25, of Little Hardings, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

– Jamal Clarke, 21, of Holloway Circus, Queensway, Birmingham

– Gideon Olumoyegun, 25, of Stour Road, Dagenham

– Carsten Kyei, 21, of Denmark Street, Newham, east London

Nine appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday where they were bailed until their next appearance at Birmingham Crown Court on November 28, 2025.

Clare McCullogh’s magistrates’ court hearing was adjourned until December 5, 2025, while magistrates issued a warrant for Bradley Lloyd’s arrest after he failed to appear in court, the NCA said.

Six men suspected of organizing the attempted importation, five of whom were arrested at addresses in Marsh Farm, Luton, and Finchley in north London on October 23, 2024, remain under investigation.

NCA branch commander Kevin Broadhead said: “This was an enormous amount of cannabis to be seized from air passengers and would have been extremely profitable for organized crime gangs had it remained undetected.

“The charges brought against these individuals are an important moment in our investigation, which remains ongoing.

“Anyone who is asked to smuggle drugs into the UK should think very carefully about the potential consequences if caught.

“The chances of getting caught are high, and it just isn’t worth that risk.”