A 23-year-old British woman has been arrested in Ghana after allegedly attempting to smuggle 18kg of cannabis onto a flight bound for the UK.
Chyna Jada Browne-Frater was detained at Kotoka International Airport in Accra before boarding a British Airways flight to Gatwick Airport.
Authorities claim she had 32 slabs of cannabis concealed in her luggage, with an estimated street value of £170,000.
Following her arrest, Browne-Fraser appeared in court on Saturday and was remanded in custody.
In a separate incident, another British national was arrested at the same airport. Owusu Williams Christian, 19, was stopped while preparing to board a flight to Dubai. Officials say he was carrying 92 slabs of cannabis weighing nearly 54kg.
It is not yet known whether the two cases are connected, but Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission has reiterated its commitment to tackling the drug trade.
A spokesperson said: “The Commission remains resolute and committed to the fight against drug trafficking and usage in the country.”
The arrests come amid a surge in cases involving UK nationals accused of smuggling drugs abroad.
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), nearly 27 tonnes of cannabis were seized at UK airports last year — a fivefold increase compared to the previous year. Nearly half of those seizures occurred at Heathrow Airport.
The UK Border Force is currently trialling a new initiative in which arrested drug couriers are returned to their country of departure to face prosecution.
Thailand remains a prominent source of cannabis smuggling involving British citizens. Several young women from the UK have been arrested in recent months.
Charlotte May Lee, 21, is currently being held in a Sri Lankan prison after being accused of smuggling cannabis through Colombo’s main airport. She denies knowingly carrying the drugs.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Bella May Culley is in detention in Georgia after she was allegedly caught with 14kg of cannabis at Tbilisi Airport. Authorities say the drugs originated from Thailand. If found guilty, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
M10News has approached the UK Foreign Office for comment.
