Ex-Arsenal player jailed for $812,000 drug smuggling

Former Arsenal player Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was jailed for four years for his involvement in a £600,000 ($812,000) drug smuggling plot.

The 34-year-old footballer was arrested in September 2024 after officers seized about 60 kilograms of cannabis brought through London’s Stansted Airport by two women he had recruited – his girlfriend and her friend – on a flight from Thai capital Bangkok via Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

An earlier hearing heard the women – who were found not guilty – believed they were importing gold.

Emmanuel-Thomas, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a smuggling charge, was sacked by Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton after his arrest.

His lawyer conceded the father-of-two had made a “catastrophic error of judgment” after falling on financial hard times.

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Judge Alexander Mills, while imposing a four-year sentence on Thursday, said: “It’s through your own action that you will no longer be known for playing professional football.

“You will be known as a criminal. A professional footballer who threw it all away.”

A highly-promising graduate of Arsenal’s academy, Emmanuel-Thomas made five appearances for the Gunners before leaving the north London club in 2011.

The English player went on to feature for Ipswich, Bristol City, QPR, and Aberdeen, among a host other clubs, including Thai side PTT Rayong.

The Star