Thailand Poker Debt Leads to £60k Drug Smuggling Attempt at Manchester Airport
A British man has avoided immediate jail time after attempting to smuggle over 20kg of cannabis into the UK. Archie Payne, 32, was caught at Manchester Airport with two suitcases packed with the drug, valued at £60,000 wholesale. He claimed he had no idea the bags contained anything other than cigarettes.
Payne was arrested in September after flying back from Bangkok. Authorities found the cannabis hidden in his luggage upon arrival. He later told the court he had lost a poker game in Thailand and was approached by a criminal network offering him money to transport the drugs.
Payne spent two months in custody before his sentencing. During the trial, he maintained that he genuinely believed the suitcases held only cigarettes. Despite this, he pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges. The court handed down a 22-month suspended prison sentence. Alongside this, Payne must complete a drug rehabilitation programme and perform 200 hours of unpaid community work.
The suspended sentence means Payne will avoid prison if he complies with the court’s conditions. His case highlights the risks of drug trafficking, even when couriers claim ignorance of their cargo. The cannabis seizure was one of the larger hauls recorded at Manchester Airport in recent months.
