Border Force warning to UK holidaymakers after 600 arrested in six months

NewsUK & World NewsTravelYou could face an average of two years in prison11:59, 19 Jul 2026Updated 11:59, 19 Jul 2026People heading abroad this summer are being warned not to risk their futures by being lured into accepting a ‘free holiday’. Criminal gangs are using popular social media platforms to groom young people into smuggling cannabis into the UK.‌Border Force has shared its five tips to avoid being ensnared by smugglers. The number of cannabis smugglers caught arriving in the UK by plane has surged from 142 in 2023 to 976 in 2025.‌And 2026 is on track to be even worse, with 600 air passenger couriers arrested at UK airports in the first 6 months alone – with men aged 18 to 37 travelling from Thailand making up the largest group of those arrested.‌Criminal networks are specifically