BBC News, Essex
Getty ImagesA professional footballer has admitted his involvement in a plot to smuggle drugs with a street value of £600,000 from Thailand into the UK.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, 34, was arrested after 60kg (9.44st) of cannabis was found in suitcases arriving at London Stansted Airport, Essex, on 2 September.
He was sacked by Scottish club Greenock Morton after being charged, having previously played for Arsenal, Aberdeen, Ipswich Town and England at youth level.
The father-of-two will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court at a later date.
Emmanuel-Thomas, of Cardwell Road, Gourock, near Glasgow, pleaded guilty to the offence in May. Reporting restrictions on the case were lifted on Wednesday.
Prosecutor David Josse KC said it followed a “very thorough investigation” by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
NCAEmmanuel-Thomas duped his 33-year-old girlfriend, Yasmin Piotrowska, and her friend, Rosie Rowland, 28, into collecting the cannabis in Thailand and smuggling it into the UK.
They were given an all expenses paid trip to the country and promised a payment of £2,500, the NCA said.
Meanwhile, the footballer acted as an intermediary between criminals in both Thailand and the UK.
The women were stopped by Border Force officials at Stansted Airport after flying in from Bangkok, and found to have four suitcases containing cannabis.
However, charges against Ms Rowland, of Southend Road, Chelmsford, and Ms Piotrowska, of Purves Road, north-west London, were dropped earlier.
They wept as they were allowed to leave the dock, having denied importing cannabis between 1 July and 2 September at earlier hearings.
NCAMr Josse said the investigation into their involvement was discontinued after analysis of Emmanuel-Thomas’s mobile phone.
“They thought they were importing gold, not cannabis,” the prosecutor said.
On his way to custody in September, Emmanuel-Thomas said “I just feel sorry for the girls”, the NCA added.
Emmanuel-Thomas made five first team appearances for Arsenal, also going on to play for Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, MK Dons, and Thai-based team PTT Rayong in 2019.
He was sacked by Scottish side Greenock Morton FC after being arrested at his home in on 18 September.
David Philips, a senior NCA investigator, said: “Organised criminals like Emmanuel-Thomas can be very persuasive and offer payment to couriers.
“But the risk of getting caught is very high and it simply isn’t worth it.”
The maximum sentence for smuggling cannabis into the UK is 14 years in jail.
