A teenage drugs mule who was caught with £420,000 worth of cannabis in her luggage after being given an all-expenses paid trip to Thailand has been jailed.
Erihanna Sackor, 19, was caught red-handed at Heathrow Airport on June 2 with 14kg of the Class B drug which had been vacuum-sealed and stuffed in her suitcase.
The teenage hospitality worker, who was thwarted while walking through the green channel of customs, initially told Border Force officials that the luggage did not belong to her.
However, prosecutor Abdul Kapadia said officers ‘found the suitcase and passport details matched her name’.
Sackor later told a police interview that she had been contacted by someone on social media who had promised her £20,000 as a reward for importing the cases to Britain.
Mr Kapadia said the 19-year-old was in rent arrears at a YMCA hostel she had been living at in Hillingdon, west London.
He added that her flights and hotels in Southeast Asia had also all been paid for, and that she was given around £200 in spending money while there.
But Sackor, who claimed she had visited Thailand because her father lived near there, said she met a ‘ginger man’ in a nightclub there who ‘took the money off me and never gave [it] back’.
Erihanna Sackor (pictured) has been jailed after being caught importing £420,000 worth of cannabis into Britain from Thailand
Border Force officials uncovered 14kg of the Class B drug which had been vacuum-sealed and stuffed in Sackor’s suitcase
The teenager initially told officials that the luggage (pictured) did not belong to her
The court heard Sackor had been threatened with ‘sexual innuendos’ and was shown ‘very unpleasant images’ of what could happen to her if she did not execute the drugs plot.
Mr Kapadia said Sackor had travelled to Thailand and South Africa previously, but that there was no evidence to suggest she had imported drugs on those trips.
Sackor appeared by video link from HMP Bronzefield wearing a black top after earlier admitting to one count of importing class B drugs.
Defending, Jo Morris said Sackor had ‘very little knowledge of the extent of the operation, was ‘remorseful’, and was ‘vulnerable’.
Ms Morris added that the drug gang had recruited a vulnerable young female to do their dirty work, saying: ‘This is a person who was involved through pressure when she got to Thailand.
‘She has a fairly deprived background. She attended a behaviour correction school which is known to social care services.
The court heard Sackor (pictured) had been threatened with ‘sexual innuendos’ and was shown ‘very unpleasant images’ of what could happen to her if she did not follow through
‘She was in the care of her mother who struggled with her own mental health.
‘She was evicted from a YMCA hostel because she owed rent arrears which does not suggest she had the most stable background. Her vulnerability was exploited.’
Sentencing, Ms Recorder Amanda Pinto KC told Sackor: ‘You deliberately went out to Thailand to smuggle drugs back to this country.
‘You did it because you expected to get £20,000 which is a very significant amount of money for someone in your position.
‘As you found out when you got there, things were not as enjoyable as you hoped, and I accept you were subject to unpleasant threats in terms of sexual innuendos and very unpleasant images of what might happen to you if you didn’t go through with things.
Defending, Jo Morris said Sackor (pictured) had ‘very little knowledge of the extent of the operation, was ‘remorseful’, and was ‘vulnerable’
‘But you were a knowing and willing participant in this scheme. You became part of an organised criminal group.
‘You had no influence on those high up the chain, but you did have some awareness of the scale of the operation. You are exactly the sort of vulnerable person that these gangs often exploit.
‘I did consider a suspended sentence, but my concern is your knowledge of the enterprise and the fact you may not have anywhere to live if you are released.’
Sackor had previous convictions including one for ABH but none for drug offences, the court heard.
She was jailed for 15 months and was ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.
Asked if she understood the sentence, Sackor replied: ‘Yes’, with her arms crossed.
