Dealer jailed after £1m of cannabis intercepted at East Midlands Airport from California

Drugs with an estimated street value of £1 million were intercepted at East Midlands Airport after travelling from California.

The parcel containing 260 bags of cannabis weighing 153 kilograms, was seized by Border Force officers in November.

It was originally destined for an address in Hucknall Road, Sherwood.

A 31-year-old man, Curtis Campbell, was arrested at the address following inquiries by Nottinghamshire police.

Evidence of drugs importation and supply was found on phones attributed to Campbell who was subsequently charged with being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug.

Campbell pleaded guilty to the charge and further counts of supplying and producing a Class B drug.

He was jailed for four years and eight months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, 21 February 2023.

The court also heard another parcel, sent from the United States and addressed to Campbell, was intercepted by Border Force officials at the Coventry International Hub on 2 May 2022.

That parcel contained 530g of cannabis, with a potential street value of up to £4,500. Campbell was arrested on 11 August 2022 in connection with this incident.

Detective Constable Ben Grayson said: “These detailed investigations show how Nottinghamshire Police and its partners work tirelessly to prevent and combat this level of organised crime.

“I’m delighted our operations have resulted in a drug dealer being stopped in his tracks and brought to justice, as well as an extremely large quantity of drugs he intended for onward supply being taken off the streets, reducing harm caused to others and stopping the funding of organised crime.

"We will continue to work to disrupt criminals who prey on the vulnerable and seek to profit from other people’s misery by selling illegal drugs which we know has a hugely detrimental impact on our communities.”