Former Arsenal Football Club of England academy player and English international Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has admitted his role in a criminal plot to smuggle £600,000 worth of cannabis from Thailand into the United Kingdom.
The 34-year-old striker, who also played for Ipswich Town, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, and Thai side PTT Rayong, changed his plea to guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court on 7 May. Reporting restrictions on the hearing were lifted on Wednesday, Sky News reports.
Emmanuel-Thomas, of Gourock in Inverclyde, admitted “fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on the importation of cannabis between 1 July 2024 and 2 September 2024.” He had initially denied the charge in October last year.
He was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in September 2024 after roughly 60kg (132lb) of cannabis was found at London Stansted Airport in two suitcases from a Bangkok flight. The drugs were estimated to be worth £600,000.
Following his arrest, Emmanuel-Thomas was sacked by Scottish club Greenock Morton. The NCA said he was believed to be the link between drug suppliers in Thailand and dealers in the UK.
Two co-defendants, Rosie Rowland, 29, and Yasmin Piotrowska, 33, faced no further action after prosecutors offered no evidence. Prosecutor David Josse KC said the pair claimed “they thought they were importing gold not cannabis.”
David Philips, NCA senior investigating officer, stated: “Organised crime groups make significant profits by trafficking and selling perceived high-quality cannabis legally grown in the US, Canada and Thailand illegally in the UK. 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.”
At Wednesday’s hearing, Emmanuel-Thomas appeared via video-link from Chelmsford Prison.
Asked if he preferred to attend sentencing in person or by video-link, he requested to be present in person. The date for sentencing will be set administratively.
