Footballer jailed for £600k drugs smuggling plot

A professional footballer has been jailed for four years. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, 34, imported £600,000 worth of cannabis from Thailand to the UK. He orchestrated the smuggling of 60kg (132lb) of drugs found at London Stansted Airport on September 2.

Emmanuel-Thomas was sacked by Scottish club Greenock Morton after his arrest. He previously played for Arsenal, Aberdeen, and England at youth level. Judge Alexander Mills told him he would now be known as a criminal.

Emmanuel-Thomas recruited his girlfriend Yasmin Piotrowska, 33, and her friend Rosie Rowland, 28. They smuggled the Class B drug into the UK in four suitcases. Border Force officers discovered vacuum-packed cannabis inside their luggage.

The women flew business class with the drugs hidden in their bags. Mobile phone analysis linked Emmanuel-Thomas to the case. He texted Piotrowska to delete their chat when she was stopped.

On September 5, he traveled to Stratford in east London and replaced his mobile phone. Emmanuel-Thomas was arrested at his home in Gourock near Glasgow on September 18. Prosecutor David Josse KC said he used his influence as a footballer to trick the women.

He offered them an all-expenses-paid trip to Thailand and £2,500 in cash. Charges against Piotrowska and Rowland were dropped; they believed they were transporting gold instead of drugs. Emmanuel-Thomas was set to receive £5,000 for a successful operation.

At age 16, Emmanuel-Thomas captained Arsenal to FA Youth Cup victory alongside future England star Jack Wilshere. The court read a handwritten letter from him addressed to Judge Mills. In it, he described the past year as harmful and eye-opening.

He mentioned that seeing his daughter visit him in prison was very tough. "Watching her walk into the space broke me," he wrote. He never wanted her to see him like that.

His barrister stated that Emmanuel-Thomas was led into temptation during financial struggles while out of contract. When police knocked on his door for arrest, he realized his career was over.

Mr Rose noted that this situation is entirely due to Emmanuel-Thomas's choices but is still devastating for someone with promise. Growing up in London and moving to Scotland for football contributed to his struggles.

"He succumbed to temptation and made a catastrophic error of judgment," Mr Rose added.