The number of young British nationals arrested overseas for suspected drug smuggling has more than quadrupled in just two years, prompting a fresh government warning about the dangers of becoming a courier for organised Crime gangs.
Foreign Office figures show arrests rose from just over 80 in 2023 to more than 340 in 2025.
A significant part of the increase has been linked to cannabis being transported from Thailand and other parts of South East Asia.
More than 200 British nationals have been detained on suspicion of smuggling cannabis from Thailand, with around 60% of those detained since 2024 aged between 16 and 30.
The figures come amid concerns that criminal networks are recruiting young travellers with promises of free holidays, flights or quick money to carry luggage across international borders.
One major UK investigation resulted in 11 couriers being convicted over a plot involving cannabis valued at £13.8 million. The drugs were discovered inside 22 suitcases at Birmingham Airport in August 2024.
Other Britons have faced serious criminal proceedings overseas.
British woman Charlotte May Lee was arrested in Sri Lanka in May 2025 after 46kg of cannabis was allegedly discovered in her luggage following a flight from Bangkok. She has maintained that the drugs were placed in her luggage without her knowledge.
In another case, Taylor Johnson, 20, was sentenced in Turkey in July to nine years and two months in prison after cannabis worth around £300,000 was found in his suitcase at Istanbul Airport as he returned from Thailand. He said he was unaware the luggage contained drugs.
Government warns of potentially devastating consequences
Minister for Consular and Crisis Stephen Doughty warned that organised criminals were exploiting people while exposing them to potentially severe sentences overseas.
He said: “Organised criminals are only interested in their own profit and do not care about the devastating consequences for the people they recruit.”
Those caught smuggling drugs can face lengthy prison sentences, difficult conditions in foreign prisons and, in some countries, the death penalty.
Doughty added: “Never carry drugs or items for others. Remember no holiday, payment or opportunity is worth risking your freedom, your future or your life.”
