Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, a former prospect for Arsenal, has been accused with trying to smuggle £600,000 worth of cannabis into the UK.
The striker, who made five appearances for the Gunners’ first squad, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning just after eight in the morning.
The smuggling happened at Stansted Airport, but the National Crime Agency [NCA] made the arrest near Gourock, Inverclyde.
The 33-year-old Emmanuel-Thomas is still playing football for Greenock Morton in the Scottish Championship.
He also made appearances for a number of other English teams, such as Blackpool, Ipswich, and QPR.
The NCA seized £600,000 worth of cannabis at Stansted on September 2, coinciding with the arrest.
Emmanuel-Thomas, who is charged with importing class B drugs, is scheduled to appear at Carlisle Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Also detained were two ladies, ages 28 and 32, who have now shown up at the Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.
Bail was granted so they could appear before Chelmsford Crown Court on October 1.
“The NCA continues to work with partners like Border Force to target those involved in drug smuggling – that includes both the couriers and the organizers,” NCA senior investigating officer David Phillips stated in a statement.
“We would appeal to anyone who is approached to engage in any kind of smuggling to think very carefully about the likely consequences of their actions and the potentially life-changing risks they will be taking.”
After leaving Kidderminster Harriers of the National League in the summer to join Greenock Morton, Emmanuel-Thomas has made five appearances without scoring, with his most recent being on September 14.
The London-born forward won the 2008/09 FA Youth Cup and was expected to have a successful career due to his success in Arsenal’s system.
Under Arsene Wenger, he made his FA Cup debut in January 2010 against Stoke City.
He would make four more appearances as a substitute in the League Cup, Champions League, and Premier League before going on loan to Doncaster Rovers and Cardiff City, his boyhood team.
After moving to Ipswich in 2010, he permanently left the Emirates in 2013. From 2013 to 2015, he scored 33 goals in 103 games for Bristol City, which was his greatest goal total ever.
