Overview

• Tihaise Darlin Elisha, 19, and Taylor Tamara Simone, 21, were each sentenced in Zimbabwe to nine years’ imprisonment with three years suspended after 53 packets of cannabis totaling about 66 kg were found in their suitcases at Harare’s Robert Mugabe International Airport.
• In April, Munich District Court handed Cameron Bradford, 24, a two-year suspended sentence after customs officers discovered 20 kg of cannabis in her locked luggage following a last-minute flight change.
• Operation Chaophraya, launched by UK Border Force and Thai Customs in mid-2024, achieved a 90% drop in postal cannabis shipments from Thailand but has driven traffickers to adopt air courier networks.
• Thai authorities say UK-based criminal gangs recruit vulnerable British travellers with paid flights, pocket money and hotel stays to smuggle cannabis through smaller airports.
• Since the operation began, intelligence sharing and proactive airport checks have led to over 50 British nationals being arrested abroad, but shifting smuggling methods continue to challenge law enforcement.