Ex-Arsenal forward Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for his role in a £600,000 drug smuggling operation. The 34-year-old was convicted following the seizure of approximately 60 kilograms of cannabis at Stansted Airport, which had been brought into the UK by two women he had recruited — his girlfriend and her friend.

The former Premier League player was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency after the drugs, valued at around £600,000, were discovered concealed in suitcases arriving from Bangkok, via Dubai. At Chelmsford Crown Court, it was revealed that the two women, Yasmin Piotrowska and Rosie Rowland, believed they were importing gold.

Emmanuel-Thomas, of Cardwell Road, Gourock, Inverclyde, pleaded guilty to a charge of fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on importing cannabis, relating to offences committed between 1 July and 2 September 2024.

Following his arrest in September last year, Emmanuel-Thomas was dismissed by Greenock Morton, the Scottish Championship club he had recently signed for after a brief stint at Kidderminster Harriers.

During sentencing on Thursday, Prosecutor David Josse KC told the court that Emmanuel-Thomas had "played an operational management role" in orchestrating the smuggling plot. He noted the footballer’s ties to Thailand, having played 11 matches for PTT Rayong, and said the defendant was involved in recruiting the women to make the trip under false pretences.

“The defendant had some awareness and understanding of the scale of the operation,” Mr Josse said. He explained that the venture had been packaged as a luxury getaway, with business class flights and hotel expenses arranged by Emmanuel-Thomas, who also discussed plans for the women to enjoy their stay on Ko Samui, a Thai island.

Ms Piotrowska, 33, and Ms Rowland, 29, were both initially charged in connection with the case, but prosecutors later offered no evidence, and not guilty verdicts were formally entered. The court heard the women believed they were transporting gold, not illegal substances.

Defending Emmanuel-Thomas, barrister Alex Rose described the incident as a “catastrophic error of judgement” and revealed that his client stood to gain just £5,000 from the operation. Mr Rose said the former Arsenal youth product, a father of two, had been experiencing “significant financial hardship” after a spell without a club.

“Though he had previously navigated short periods without a contract, those had followed lucrative deals. This situation was different,” Mr Rose stated, describing the Morton contract as a last resort following a short-term arrangement with Kidderminster, taken largely out of loyalty to an acquaintance.

He added: “His football career is finished, and that’s entirely his own doing. It’s a devastating end to what once promised to be a notable footballing journey.”

Judge Alexander Mills, handing down the sentence, condemned the former footballer’s actions: “Through your own doing, you will no longer be known as a professional footballer, but as a criminal who threw it all away.”

The judge revealed that Emmanuel-Thomas was earning just £600 a week at the time of the offence and had orchestrated the entire smuggling trip under the guise of a luxury holiday.

Emmanuel-Thomas, dressed in a grey jacket and black shirt, sat in the secure dock with his long hair tied back, maintaining a steady gaze throughout proceedings. He acknowledged the public gallery — where Ms Piotrowska sat weeping — with a nod before being led to the cells.