Every year there are countless people who try to smuggle some quantity of drugs through one or more airports in the UK.
Recently it was the turn of Edinburgh Airport to take the headlines in this way, and it was good news for those who seek to stop this from happening. Two separate agencies stopped a woman as she tried to get 3.6 kilos of cocaine through the airport.
The two agencies involved in apprehending the woman were the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and the UK Border Agency. The drugs were estimated to have been worth around £175,000, had she been successful in getting through the airport and getting the drugs out into society.
Needless to say this is a success story for the agencies involved, and it sends out a strong message to those who may be considering trying to smuggle drugs through any airport in future. The woman who was stopped and arrested was slated to appear in court charged with the offence last Wednesday, the 14th October.
It is too early to say what the outcome of the arrest will ultimately be. But the very fact that such a large haul has been prevented from hitting the streets in Scotland is in itself a success. No doubt officers will be pushing to get the longest custodial sentence possible for the woman, although it is obvious that she is just one link in a chain that could be very much longer.
Perhaps the saddest thing about this arrest is that it will not deter the people who are determined to bring the biggest amounts of drugs into the country. Staff members at Edinburgh Airport – just as at every other UK airport – are vigilant and take every possible step to prevent drugs like this from getting through. But the fact remains that some of the carriers do make it through, and large quantities of the drugs get onto the street as a result.
It is worth noting though that the joint operation between the two agencies has had successful results here. This is clearly something to build on for the future, and perhaps a long sentence for the woman may deter some others from trying something similar in future.
It was reported after the hearing that the woman, aged 31, was allowed to be released on bail. The case is continuing but no information on where the woman is or when further court hearings could occur was released. For further updates about this news story, the best course of action is to keep up to date with the news. It is unlikely to receive any attention on the dedicated website for Edinburgh Airport, since news of the arrest and the haul did not make it onto the site in the first place.
It will be interesting to see how long any custodial sentence will be for however. The truth of the matter is that she will probably be out to re-offend before too long, however long the initial sentencing is for.