A 51-year-old Spanish citizen was arrested on May 1 upon arrival at the United Kingdom’s Manchester Airport from Los Angeles with nearly 350 pounds of marijuana stashed into eight separate suitcases that were checked in under the names of his three children, who were traveling with him.

Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said the cannabis would have had a street value of at least $1.3 million if sold in the U.K.  

“This is one of the biggest cannabis seizures we have seen at Manchester Airport in recent years," said NCA senior investigating officer Charles Lee in a press release. "The drugs would have generated significant profits. NCA officers are determined to work with our partners at Border Force to stop drug smuggling and disrupt the criminal networks behind it."

Following the Wednesday arrest by Britain’s Border Force and interview by NCA investigators, Fernando Jacobo Mayans Fuster from Zaragoza, Spain was charged with importing class B drugs. No news was released about the fate or whereabouts of his three children.

Weed Smuggling From LAX To UK: Underworld Gangs Involved, Say Authorities

Throughout 2023, a rash of weed smuggling was going on between LAX and Heathrow airports, which had British authorities baffled.

Over the course of one week in January alone, nine Americans were arrested with nearly 750 pounds of cannabis flying from LAX to Heathrow, according to the NCA, Britain's equivalent of the FBI.

NCA officials admitted finding the sudden rise of US-based weed smuggling to be odd, though high-quality California cannabis can sell for 10 times more in the United Kingdom where adult use is illegal and medical marijuana is barely legal. The NCA has indicated that smugglers from the U.S. are likely selling their product at a premium to underworld gangs in the U.K. 

"We are working to understand how these seizures are connected, however, to get this many off the same route in such a short period of time is clearly very unusual," said the NCA's senior investigating officer Darren Barr at the time.

Photo: 278 packages of cannabis in eight separate bags at Manchester Airport, courtesy of NCA