TA: Former Arsenal player Emmanuel Thomas admits to drug smuggling

May 22 According to The Athletic, former Arsenal player Emmanuel Thomas admitted to being involved in drug smuggling.

It is reported that former Arsenal player Emmanuel Thomas admitted to being involved in a marijuana smuggling case worth about £600,000. The 34-year-old was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in September while playing for Greenock Morton. At that time, 60 kilograms of drugs he had hidden in his suitcase were found on a flight from Bangkok to Stansted Airport. Scottish champion club Greenock Morton then terminated his contract.

Emmanuel Thomas initially denied the charge of importing Class B drugs in Carlisle Magistrates Court, but pleaded guilty at the Chelmsford Crown Court, pleading evading laws prohibiting imports of marijuana between July 1 and September 2, 2024. His arrest comes after Rossi Roland and Yasmin Piotroska were arrested at Stansted Airport. Prosecutors dropped the charges against the two, who denied their participation at a previous hearing and cried when allowed to leave the court.

Prosecutor David Jos said the investigation was suspended after analyzing Emmanuel Thomas's cell phone. "They thought they were importing gold, not marijuana," the prosecutor told the court.

Emmanuel Thomas appeared in the court at Chelmsford Prison via video link, and he will be sentenced later. In the UK, the maximum sentence for marijuana imports is 14 years in prison. Emmanuel Thomas was an Arsenal youth training product and led the team to win the FA Youth Cup in 2009. After playing for Arsenal in the Premier League, he played for several teams including Ipswich Town, Bristol City, and then went to Scotland, Thailand and India to play football. In addition, he has also represented England in youth competitions.