Former Arsenal player Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday for his role in a £600,000 cannabis smuggling operation.
The 34-year-old was arrested in September 2023 after police intercepted approximately 60 kilograms of cannabis smuggled into the UK through London’s Stansted Airport.
The drugs were transported from Bangkok, Thailand, via Dubai, by two women he had recruited, his girlfriend and her friend.
Although the women were later found not guilty, the court heard they believed they were importing gold, not drugs.
Emmanuel-Thomas had pleaded guilty to a smuggling charge at an earlier hearing and was sacked by Scottish Championship club Greenock Morton following his arrest.
His lawyer admitted the father-of-two had made a “catastrophic error of judgement” amid financial struggles.
Once hailed as a rising star in Arsenal’s youth ranks, Emmanuel-Thomas made five senior appearances for the Gunners before departing in 2011.
His career included stints at Ipswich Town, Bristol City, QPR, Aberdeen, and Thai club PTT Rayong.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Alexander Mills told the disgraced footballer.
“It’s through your action that you will no longer be known for playing professional football. You will be known as a criminal. A professional footballer who threw it all away.”
