A group of 11 people has been convicted after an attempted smuggling operation involving cannabis worth £13.8 million into the UK through Birmingham Airport. According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), investigators uncovered the plot after the couriers were arrested by Border Force officers in August 2024. The group arrived on flights from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Border Force found class B drugs packed into 22 suitcases. Court heard each courier had two suitcases, with both cases containing 20 kilos of cannabis, amounting to 460 kilos in total. The NCA said each suitcase had a thin layer of clothing above vacuum-packed cannabis. Eight of the suitcases contained Apple Air Tag trackers, which investigators identified as being connected to the same Apple ID account. The court heard Border Force officers became suspicious after identifying that four different passengers travelled from Birmingham to Charles de Gaulle earlier on 9 August 2024. Border Force fully staffed the “Nothing To Declare” channel, leading to the seizures. The source states that one courier was told: “my man gonna be on the other side – don’t leave the airport until you see him leave. Even if your bags are there just let them go round on the belt, go toilet etc. etc.” Convictions were handed down at Birmingham Crown Court. Carsten Kyei and Nathan Vitorino were convicted on 26 May 2026 following a three-week trial, while Lewis Ross and Bradley Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during that trial. The remaining defendants were convicted after a four-week trial. Those convicted are due to be sentenced on 22 October, while the others are due to be sentenced on 3 September.