Ex-Arsenal striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas appeared in court on Thursday September 19 after being accused of drug importation after £600k of cannabis was discovered stashed in suitcases at a UK airport.
The 33-year-old striker who currently plays for Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton, was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers earlier this week. This was on suspicion of orchestrating the attempted importation of the cannabis through Stansted Airport.
An Agency spokesman confirmed a 33-year-old man had been detained just after 8am on Wednesday in Gourock, Inverclyde, in an operation supported by officers from Police Scotland.
The footballer was transported to Carlisle to be questioned. And he appeared in front of deputy district judge Steven Jonas at the city’s magistrates’ court early on Thursday afternoon.
This alleges drug importation and specifically that he was concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug — cannabis. Court papers show the offence is alleged to have been committed on 2nd September this year in the London area.
60kg of the substance was detected in a number of suitcases at Stansted Airport
During the 15-minute court hearing, Emmanuel-Thomas — who captained Arsenal to Youth Cup final success in 2009 — spoke clearly to confirm his name, date of birth and address. He appeared in the dock wearing a mustard-coloured ‘Essentials’ designer long-sleeved top, sporting tied-back dreadlocked hair and a beard.
No plea was entered to the charge when it was read to him by the court legal advisor on the instruction of his lawyer, Nathaniel Gadsby. ‘There is no indication of plea,’ Mr Gadsby confirmed. ‘There is scant information (on the court file); just four witness statements. It is pretty much impossible to tell what is even charged, I’m afraid.’
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.’
Prosecutor Diane Jackson told the court how two women — one of whom, she said, is the partner of Emmanuel-Thomas — had been arrested after travelling into the UK, business class, from Bangkok via Dubai.
A total of four suitcases were said to have been seized. Some 29kg of cannabis were spread across two of these, with 31kg contained in the remaining two. The estimated total potential street value of the drug was £600,000.
Phone evidence was said to have been collected by law enforcement officers. And Mrs Jackson alleged of Emmanuel-Thomas: ‘It shows that he carried out extensive research into flights and directions; which airports the females had been coming into. It is said this is not the first trip he has arranged.’
For the purposes of administration, the district judge said he was treating Emmanuel-Thomas’ no plea as a not guilty plea.
Emmanuel-Thomas was remanded in custody after an application for bail was rejected. His case was sent for a plea and trial preparation hearing, initially to Carlisle Crown Court, on 18th October.
Emmanuel-Thomas’s appearance in court follows the arrest of two women, aged 28 and 32, at Stansted on 2nd September. Border Force are said to have detected around 60 kilos of the drug in a number suitcases which had arrived on a flight from Bangkok.
After being questioned by the NCA both were charged with drug importation offences. They were bailed during an initial magistrates’ court hearing to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 1st October.
Emmanuel-Thomas has played for a host of professional clubs north and south of the border during the past 15 years. These include Ipswich Town, Bristol City, QPR and Aberdeen.
Senior Investigating Officer for the NCA, David Phillips, said on Wednesday: ‘The NCA continues to work with partners like Border Force to target those involved in drug smuggling – that includes both the couriers and the organisers.
The striker scored 33 goals across 103 games for Bristol City between 2013 and 2015.
Emmanuel-Thomas joined Arsenal at age eight and went on to make his debut for the club in 2010, before joining Ipswich a year later.
He has played for a host of professional clubs north and south of the border during the past 15 years.
He joined Arsenal’s youth academy when he was eight years old but failed to have an impact in the first-team after graduating from the Gunners’ academy.
He made his Premier League debut for the club during a 2-0 defeat by Chelsea in October 2010. A month later he would make his Champions League bow in a 2-1 defeat by Shakhtar, before leaving Arsenal to join Ipswich for £1.1million in 2011.
Emmanuel-Thomas was 19 when he made his debut for Arsenal’s men’s senior side and had notably impressed legendary Gunners manager Arsene Wenger having also helped the club clinch the FA Youth Cup during the 2008-09 season.
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