Man '˜attempted to smuggle 11kg of cannabis' through Edinburgh Airport

A 24-year-old man has been jailed for 18 months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for attempting to smuggle approximately 11 kilos of cannabis through Edinburgh Airport.

A man attempted to smuggle 11kg of drugs through the airport. Stock image

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Yi Wei Yap, from Selangor, Malaysia, was stopped by Border Force officers on September 11 2017 after arriving on a flight from Madrid.

When they questioned him and examined his suitcase they found 11 vacuum packed packages containing cannabis leaves wrapped in towels.

The cannabis had a street value of £38,500.

Murdo MacMillan, Head of Border Force Scotland, said: “The vigilance of our officers has prevented a significant quantity of drugs entering the UK and ending up on our streets.

“Working with partners from the National Crime Agency (NCA) we will continue to do all we can to prevent drug smuggling and bring those responsible to justice.”

The class B drug is illegal to import, supply, or possess with intent to supply.

Following the seizure by Border Force, the investigation was passed to the NCA. Yap’s sentence was backdated to take effect from 11 September, 2017.

NCA Scotland operations manager John McGowan said: “We have prevented illegal drugs from reaching the streets of Scotland, and we continue to work with law enforcement partners like Border Force to keep the public safe.”

Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call the hotline on 0800 59 5000.