Ex-Arsenal player arrested after drugs worth £600K seized at UK airport

LONDON (AP) — A soccer player who once appeared for Arsenal in the Champions League has been charged in connection with trying to smuggle cannabis worth 600,000 pounds ($800,000) through a British airport.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who currently plays for Scottish second-tier team Greenock Morton, was arrested at his home near Glasgow early Wednesday, the Press Association agency reported Thursday.

Emmanuel-Thomas was detained by police and taken to the northern English city of Carlisle to be questioned, the National Crime Agency said.

The 33-year-old forward started his career with Arsenal, where he played five games including in the Champions League at Shakhtar Donetsk in November 2010.

He later played for English clubs Ipswich, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers, Aberdeen in Scotland, and in Thailand for PTT Rayong.

The drug-smuggling case followed customs officers detecting about 60 kilograms (130 pounds) of cannabis in two suitcases at Stansted airport near London that arrived on a flight from Bangkok on Sept. 2. Two women were arrested.

Emmanuel-Thomas is expected to appear in court Thursday in Carlisle accused of importing class B drugs, PA reported.

In August, the National Crime Agency warned travelers arriving from Thailand, Canada and the United States that they face jail sentences if caught attempting to bring cannabis into the United Kingdom. The maximum sentence for drug couriers is 14 years.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer