A 22-year-old British man was sentenced to 40 months in prison for attempting to smuggle 56 kg of cannabis into Belgium. The drugs were hidden in his suitcases.
The young man had landed at Brussels Airport in late March, coming from the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. During customs inspection, officers discovered the illicit goods.
"I have been travelling around Thailand for ten days," he told the police, reports Het Laatste Nieuws. "A friend asked me to bring those suitcases home because they were left behind in Thailand during a previous trip he'd made."
While the man initially denied any knowledge of the drugs, he eventually admitted the charges in court. The Prosecutor's Office noted that conversations found on his phone confirmed his involvement in the transport, contradicting his initial account of a favour rendered to a friend.
'Aware of his mistake'
The defence argued that their client was naive and financially precarious, hoping to receive €5,000. "My client is fully aware of his mistake."
"He lives in Liverpool with his two brothers and his mother and has a very limited income despite working two jobs. A friend suggested a 'job' that would quickly earn him €5,000, and he naively accepted," the lawyer said.
Considering the significant quantity of drugs and the evidence in the case, the Brussels Criminal Court followed the prosecution's request and imposed a 40-month prison sentence.
