The UK Home Office has warned young travellers against accepting offers of free holidays or luxury trips from criminal gangs seeking to recruit drug couriers.
The advisory, issued by Border Force ahead of the peak summer travel season, follows a sharp rise in cannabis smuggling through UK airports, with organised crime groups increasingly targeting school leavers, university graduates, first-time travellers, and young holidaymakers through social media.
According to the Home Office, the number of cannabis smugglers intercepted at UK airports rose from 142 in 2023 to 976 in 2025. In the first half of 2026 alone, 600 air passenger couriers were arrested, with men aged 18 to 37 arriving from Thailand accounting for the largest group.
Border Force said criminal gangs lure victims with promises of free luxury holidays, business-class flights, accommodation, and spending money before coercing them into transporting cannabis into the UK.
As part of a nationwide awareness campaign, travellers have been advised to reject suspicious travel offers, particularly to destinations where cannabis is legal, including Thailand, Canada, and parts of the United States. They were also urged to know the contents of their luggage, avoid carrying bags for others, ignore recruitment attempts on social media, and keep control of their passports and travel documents.
Border Force Lead Officer for Safeguarding, Kate Goldstone, warned that those caught smuggling cannabis could face arrest, prosecution, a criminal record, prison sentences of up to 14 years, and long-term restrictions on employment, education, and international travel.
Authorities also revealed that cannabis seizures at UK airports have increased significantly, rising from 2.1 tonnes in 2022 to more than 28 tonnes in 2025, with seizures growing by 50 per cent over the past year. The warning coincides with a joint UK–Thailand operation aimed at tackling cross-border cannabis smuggling.
