A 19-year-old man from Southampton has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of cannabis smuggling and violent disorder. Noah Barker, of Derby Road in Southampton, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on 4 September to three years and eight months behind bars. The case followed an arrest by Hampshire Police on 10 July at Heathrow Airport. Barker had flown in from Bangkok, and Border Force officers checked his suitcases. He told officers: “It is cannabis.” An investigation by the National Crime Agency followed. According to the information provided, the suitcases contained multiple black bags tightly packed inside open luggage. The packages included 41 bags of cannabis weighing just over 20kg, with a street value estimated at up to £600,000. In interview, Barker said he had been recruited by a crime group using Snapchat. He claimed he was offered a free holiday and payment to bring something back, but he received no payment. Barker also said he knew the two suitcases he was asked to courier to the UK contained either cannabis or cocaine. The violent disorder charge relates to a Hampshire Police investigation into disorder in Southampton following the Henry Nowak protest on 2 June. A senior investigating officer said Barker, like other cannabis smugglers, was motivated by money and knew what he was doing involved risk. The National Crime Agency said it will continue working with partners at Border Force and in Thailand to combat the smuggling of cannabis to the UK. It also noted that Thai authorities introduced a new fines regime for couriers caught smuggling cannabis, with fines based on the amount found and potential jail time if fines cannot be paid. Barker previously admitted smuggling cannabis and violent disorder. He was sentenced to two years and four months for the cannabis offence and 16 months for violent disorder.