A 19-year-old London resident, Daniella KanKam-Adu, has avoided a prison sentence after attempting to smuggle 22.5kg of cannabis, valued at £225,000, into Newcastle Airport from Canada.
The teenager, who was pregnant at the time of the offense on March 3, told the court she agreed to the scheme because she needed money for a house deposit. Although she initially claimed she thought the luggage contained vapes, she eventually admitted she suspected it contained cannabis due to the suitcase’s weight and size.
During the incident, Border Force officers selected KanKam-Adu for a routine check. When asked to open her luggage, she claimed she did not have the key and became obstructive when told the locks would be forced. Prosecutors accepted her plea that a friend had suggested the plan as a way to earn £250 by bringing vapes into the UK tax-free. Despite her suspicions about the illegal contents, she proceeded with the trip because she had already been provided with the plane tickets and needed the funds.
In her defense, lawyer Glenn Gatland highlighted her difficult childhood in a care home and her desire to provide a better life for her child. The court also heard that KanKam-Adu had spent three months in custody following her arrest, during which time she suffered a miscarriage. Her lawyer argued that she was naive and that her time already spent in remand would serve as a sufficient deterrent against future criminal behavior.
