Lauren Martin was spotted flying into Manchester Airport
06:01, 24 Jul 2025Updated 06:24, 24 Jul 2025
Lauren Martin leaving Manchester Crown Court(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
A judge has blasted a woman after she was caught bringing almost 50 kilos of cannabis into the UK, telling her: “I have no idea what possessed you.”
Lauren Martin flew back from Thailand on April 5 this year when she was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport.
Asked what was inside her large suitcase she claimed it was just clothing.
Upon further inspection, officers found 31 vacuum sealed bags of the class B drug, weighing a total of 49 kilograms, Manchester Crown Court heard.
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“She was arrested and interviewed, and told officers she went to Thailand for a week backpacking,” said prosecutor Elizabeth Walker.
“She said she met two people in the hotel and went out to drink. One of them asked her to take some clothes back for their girlfriend.
“She said she was expecting to meet their partner at the airport, and didn’t check the cases as she felt it wasn’t right to do so.”
In mitigation, Betsy Hindle said her client had been subject to an electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am and was receiving Universal Credit.
“I have no idea what possessed you to try and bring 49 kilos of cannabis into this country,” said judge Paul Lawton.
“You say there was no reward in it for you, I’m not convinced that is true. I accept you were naïve and pressured by others.”
He added: “You need to understand how perilously close you came to going to prison. If this had been anything other than class B, you would have been going to prison for years and years.”
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Judge Lawton said he felt able to suspend the sentence as Martin was ‘capable of rehabilitation’.
Martin, of Worthing Street, Liverpool, was handed a 12 month prison term which was suspended for two years. She must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
She had earlier pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.