Drug dealer caught smuggling £90k of cannabis through Edinburgh Airport

Abdikadir Adawa Ahmed flew into Edinburgh Airport from Thailand while carrying 21 kilos of cannabis in his luggage earlier this year.

Ahmed, 20, was stopped by Border Force officers who subsequently discovered the huge amount of “herbal matter” stuffed into a suitcase.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the dealer had agreed to take part in the smuggling operation due to a significant debt he had run up.

Prosecutor Matthew Millar told the court Ahmed had “travelled to Edinburgh from Thailand via Doha” and was stopped by security officers around 1pm on February 26.

Mr Millar said Ahmed, from Washwood Heath, Birmingham, was in possession of “a hold-all and a suitcase” and admitted he was the owner of the luggage and he had packed the bags himself.

The fiscal said the luggage was searched and the officers had found 21 packets of herbal cannabis inside the suitcase.

The court was told the total weight of the Class B drug haul was 21.3kg and had a total value of £87,400.

Defence agent James McMackin said his client was unemployed and had become involved in the drug deal due to “a significant debt”.

Sheriff Douglas Keir said: “Given the significant amount of cannabis found in your luggage, it is clear the custodial threshold has been reached. All sentencing options are open at this time.”

Sheriff Keir deferred sentence for the preparation of social work reports and a restriction of liberty order assessment to next month and granted Ahmed bail in the meantime.

Ahmed pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis to others at Edinburgh Airport on February 26, 2024.