Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, a professional football player, was taken into custody for planning the importation of drugs. The 33-year-old striker, who is currently with Greenock Morton, was detained on Wednesday at his Gourock, near Glasgow, home and brought to Carlisle for interrogation.
Accused of importing class B drugs, was placed under arrest and has now appeared before Carlisle Magistrates today, according to a Daily Mail UK report.
During a 15-minute court hearing, Emmanuel-Thomas—who captained Arsenal to Youth Cup final success in 2009
Mr. Gadsby said of Emmanuel-Thomas: ‘He does strenuously deny any involvement in any plan to import drugs into the UK. He is eager to clear his name at trial.’
The solicitor also said, ‘Mr. Emmanuel-Thomas is a 33-year-old man, good character, no convictions. He has been a professional football player for all his adult life and played at a number of top teams across the UK.’
This case follows the discovery of 60 kg of cannabis in suitcases arriving at Stansted airport from Bangkok by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers. The cannabis is estimated to be worth £600,000.
Prosecutor Diane Jackson described to the court how two women, one of whom is Emmanuel-Thomas’s partner, were taken into custody after entering the UK in business class from Bangkok via Dubai.
It was reported that four suitcases had been confiscated. Two of these had about 29 kg of cannabis distributed throughout them, while the other two held 31 kg of cannabis. The drug’s potential street value was estimated to be £600,000.
It was reported that law enforcement officials gathered phone evidence. “It shows that he carried out extensive research into flights and directions; which airports the females had been coming into,” Mrs. Jackson further accused Emmanuel-Thomas. It is reported that he has planned trips before.
Former England under-17 and under-19 international Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has played for Livingston, Aberdeen, Ipswich Town, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal, and PTT Rayong, a Thai team.
When Emmanuel Thomas was just eight years old, he joined Arsenal’s youth academy, but despite graduating, he was unable to make an impression on the first team.
In October 2010, he played his first Premier League match for the team, losing 2-0 to Chelsea. He would play in his first Champions League match a month later, losing to Shakhtar 2-1, before moving from Arsenal to sign a £1.1 million contract with Ipswich in 2011.
At the age of 19, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas made his senior debut for Arsenal and had previously assisted the team in winning the FA Youth Cup in 2008–09. Notably, Emmanuel-Thomas made an impression on legendary Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.
In July, the striker agreed to a six-month deal with Greenock Morton, a team in the Scottish Championship.
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