Canadian faces 32 month-prison term in Glasgow after 28 kg of cannabis found in luggage

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A Canadian man has been sentenced to 32-months overseas after over $500,000 of cannabis was found in suitcases at Glasgow Airport back in the summer, reports paisley.org.uk.

Kouame Anhe, 20, pleaded guilty to the charge of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, aggravated by a connection with serious organized crime.

He was sentenced at Paisley Sheriff Court on Thursday after court heard 28 kilograms of cannabis (worth the British pound equivalent of £284,500) was discovered by Border Force officers.

Anhe was stopped by border police at the airport in Glasgow around 7:40 a.m. on July 8 after his answers to them raised suspicion.

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Court heard officers took Anhe to the baggage carousel after he told officials he was only travelling with a small red suitcase but the only bags remaining there were two large black suitcases both checked in under his name.

Inside those two bags, officers found 55 packages of herbal cannabis weighing a total of 28.45 kilograms valued at around £110,000 wholesale with a potential street value of £284,500 or $532,369.20 CAN.

Anhe eventually admitted the cases belonged to him but claimed he wasn’t responsible for packing them and was unaware of their contents.

Accused saw cannabis smuggling as quick fix to money woes

Court heard from his defence lawyer that his client had accepted his guilt from the start but had otherwise seen the trip as a quick solution for money problems and had ignored the contraband he was carrying.

The defence also said Anhe’s family had been threatened if he didn’t agree to smuggle the cannabis but acknowledged he still should have contacted authorities.

In delivering his sentence, Sheriff Colin Pettigrew said the accused knew he was involved in an illegal activity and still went through with it despite that fact.

Pettigrew said his 32-month sentence, reduced from four-years, took into account Anhe’s young age and the fact that cannabis is a Class B drug.

He also wanted to reflect the accused’s early guilty plea and that he had been in custody since July 9.

However, Pettigrew said the large quantity of cannabis involved couldn’t be overlooked and that “custody is the only appropriate sentence.”