A Glasgow-based social media star is on the brink of prison after being caught trying to import a massive £151,000 stash of cannabis through Edinburgh Airport last month.
Beauty Boss Caught Red-Handed
Ellie Crampsie, 23, who runs the popular beauty business Brows by Ellie, pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday. She admitted to being involved in supplying class B drugs after Border Force officers found her luggage stuffed with nearly 18kg of cannabis on April 16.
Crampsie arrived on an Air France flight from Thailand via Paris when officials stopped and searched her bags. They discovered 17 vacuum-sealed packets containing cannabis worth up to £151,000 hidden inside.
Prosecutor Emma Laing said: “She was asked the usual questions by the officer and she confirmed she had travelled from Thailand. Her luggage was opened and a number of vacuum packages were within.”
Sentencing Delayed, But Jail Looms
Sheriff Graeme Watson postponed sentencing to await a social work report and liberty restriction assessment. But he made it clear that “all sentencing options” remain on the table, despite the decision to let her remain on bail for now.
He warned, “That should be no prejudgment of what comes next.”
Defence lawyer Mr Hodge told the court Crampsie is single and supported by her parents, who were present in court. He described her criminal record as “unremarkable” for this type of offence.
Soaring Airport Cannabis Smuggling Across the UK
This case highlights a staggering rise in drug smuggling arrests at UK airports. Data from the National Crime Agency shows arrests for cannabis importation have rocketed by a jaw-dropping 3,625% in recent years.
- In 2022, just 20 air passengers were caught with cannabis.
- That number surged to 134 in 2023.
- It exploded to 745 arrests in 2024.
- And in the first nine months of 2025 alone, 680 travellers were detained.
Not the First High-Profile Bust
Crampsie isn’t the only influencer to get caught. Last month, Nicole Hutchinson, 25, a mother of three, was jailed after trying to smuggle £100,000 of cannabis through Manchester Airport — reportedly to fund beauty treatments.
Hutchinson was nabbed alongside Kia Underwood, 28, who had nearly 50kg of cannabis in two suitcases.
In another recent case, former nurse Levi-April Whalley, 31, got a suspended sentence last year after trying to smuggle over 35kg of cannabis, worth about £160,000, from New York to Birmingham.
Ellie Crampsie will return to Edinburgh Sheriff Court for sentencing once all reports are in.
