Mates party in thailand on dream lads holiday but it ends very badly

Two lads who went on a party holiday to Thailand found themselves in hot water when officers met them at the airport. Lewis Ellis and James Poutch, of Fenby Gardens in Bradford, had gone to

Thailand for the Water Festival in April this year - but were pulled by customs officials and confronted over the contents of their suitcases when they arrived at Manchester Airport. The

Manchester Evening News reports that Ellis, 20, told them: “I have cannabis in my bag, I may as well tell you because you’re going to see it.” In the two suitcases, officers found a total of

37 kilos of the class B drug in plastic-sealed packages. Both went on to plead guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of class B drugs, with

the judge handing them suspended sentences after describing them as "naïve and stupid". Georgia Kennedy-Curnow, prosecuting, told a court Ellis and Poutch, 19, were stopped at

Manchester Airport having flown from Bangkok via Abu Dhabi. Ellis was first confronted by officers, and said he had been on a three-week leisure trip with a friend he knew from school, she

said. On searching his luggage they found 19.83 kilos of cannabis. Poutch was spoken to a short time later. He told officers that he packed the suitcase himself and confirmed he wasn’t

looking after it for somebody else. In the suitcase was 17.22 kilos. Ms Kennedy-Burnow said: "The defendant said he had lost his phone abroad and both defendants gave no comment in

their interview. Representing both, Simon Hustler said: “The defendants would not seek to persuade the court that this was anything other than naked stupidity by two young men. Their

families are in court today and are as livid as they were when they were before the lower court.” He said for Ellis, who had eight previous convictions on his record, this was a "last

chance saloon". Mr Hustler added they had both paid for the holiday and travelled there to attend the Water festival. But it was while they were there that they came into contact with

individuals in Thailand and they decided to transport the drugs. Sentencing, Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said: “You had an operational function in the chain, to courier these drugs into another

country. This was naive and stupid for both of you - you exposed yourselves to the risk of imprisonment.” Poutch was handed a 16-month sentence, suspended for two years. Ellis, of no fixed

address, was made the subject of an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years. Both were ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. GET

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