For those who aren't aware of the term of a, "drug mule", it refers to:
"...a person who actively or passively participates in the transnational smuggling of drugs. These people frequently act as couriers for illicit enterprises, transporting drugs in their bodies, baggage, or secret compartments of automobiles" (as per Banyan Treatment Center).
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, a football player who used to play for Premier League giant Arsenal, has been arrested after $795,300 (£600,000) worth of cannabis was seized at a British airport, according to the Carlisle Magistrates court.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Wednesday that a 33-year-old man had been detained earlier that morning in Gourock, Scotland, on "suspicion of orchestrating the attempted importation of cannabis" through London’s Stansted Airport.
Emmanuel-Thomas – who also used to feature for current Premier League side Ipswich Town – was, until Thursday, playing for Scottish second-tier club, Greenock Morton.
The NCA said in an updated statement on Thursday that Emmanuel-Thomas’ arrest was connected to the 2 September arrest of two women, aged 28 and 32, after around 60kg (roughly 132 pounds) of cannabis were detected in two suitcases at Stansted Airport, having arrived on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
Both were charged with drug importation offenses by the NCA and were bailed to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 1 October.
It surprising, at least to me, that there is a long list of athletes who have turned to the drug business after their retirement.
During his NFL career, Eugene "Mercury" Morris made history as a member of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team in NFL history to complete a perfect season. After retiring from the game, Morris thought moving weight would be the perfect retirement plan. The police finally caught on to Mercury and raided his place where they "seized a large quantity of cocaine; three vehicles; a large sum of money and assorted firearms." Eventually, he was charged with: one count of cocaine trafficking; three counts of cocaine delivery; three counts of cocaine possession; one count of conspiracy to traffic cocaine and one count of marijuana possession.
Olympic silver medalist, David Jenkins, once admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs. After his competitive days were past him, Jenkins went to Mexico and met laboratory owner, Juan Javier Macklis. The two partnered together to manufacture steroids in Tijuana and smuggle them everywhere from Los Angeles to Miami. While the money was getting long (somewhere in the range of $100 to $300 million), everything was bound to come crashing down. U.S. Customs and the FDA soon came after Jenkins and he was eventually imprisoned for seven years; which started in 1987.
Floyd Mayweather, Sr., the former pro boxer who's now known for helping train his son, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., to an undefeated career record and multiple titles; was convicted of trafficking cocaine in the early '90's. Mayweather, Sr. was allegedly part of a drug ring that would smuggle cocaine in laundry detergent boxes. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
After five seasons playing cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams, Darryl Henley decided to traffic cocaine and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Then, he attempted to hire hit men to assassinate the judge who sentenced him and another 21 years was added to his prison term.
In an interview, former NFL running back, Bam Morris, mentioned that "A guy told me, 'You know what, Bam? If you go to prison and gain the understanding and knowledge you need to live your life, then there's no reason to look at prison as a bad thing.'" He was later found guilty of two counts of drug trafficking and served 30 months in jail. After spending only one year out of prison, he violated his parole and had to serve nearly three years.
Skate heads already know that back in the '80's, Christian Hosoi was right up there with the best vert skaters in the game. He had endorsements and his own pro models. He was caught at the Honolulu airport attempting to smuggle in over a pound of crystal meth from Los Angeles. He served four years.
After Jamal Lewis was caught using a cell phone to try and set up a drug deal in late 2000, the running back received a pretty light sentence of four months in jail despite facing much more time for drug conspiracy and attempted cocaine possession charges.
Tim Montgomery gained praise and fame by collecting a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and later winning gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He was also in a relationship with track star, Marion Jones. However, by 2005, he was stripped of his medals after he was found to be using performance-enhancing drugs. Things got from bad to worse when he was convicted of selling over 100 grams of heroin in the Virginia Beach area and sentenced to five years.
After spending seven seasons as a running back in the NFL, Travis Henry picked up an unconventional and completely illegal hobby in retirement. In 2009, Henry got three years in the slammer for financing a drug ring that moved cocaine between Colorado and Montana.
What's more shocking is how a former basketball player is involved in the ongoing investigation of Sean Combs, a.k.a. "P. Diddy." A former Syracuse basketball player was arrested on two felony charges at a Miami airport Monday. He is accused of working as rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' alleged "drug mule."
Brendan Paul, as he is listed on Syracuse's roster, was a walk-on guard for the program from 2018-'20. The 25-year-old was booked for cocaine and controlled substance possession and was released on Tuesday after posting a $2,500 bail, per Miami-Dade County court records.
The records spell Paul's first name as "Brandon" but the mug shot, published by TMZ, matches his roster photo. He was apprehended at Opa Locka Airport before he could board Diddy's private jet, according to the New York Post. In addition to the cocaine, "suspected marijuana edibles" were reportedly found in Paul's luggage.
The arrest came as federal agents raided Combs' Los Angeles and Miami homes on Monday in the wake of multiple recent lawsuits; accusing the 54-year-old of sexual assault and sex trafficking. Homeland Security Investigations implemented the raid without providing details regarding the case or any charges against Combs, the New York Times reported.
Paul's name reportedly appeared 11 times in a February lawsuit filed in a Manhattan Federal District Court by music producer, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones. The producer claimed he was sexually assaulted by Diddy during the process of working on multiple songs for the artist's, "The Love Album: Off the Grid" in 2022 and 2023.
Experts say only a small percentage are caught and the money — a pittance to a Wall Street banker but a small fortune to an out-of-work Mexican or a meth addict on a downward spiral — is too easy for many to pass up.
"The first time, you're terrified. You almost sleepwalk through it," said Chris Heifner, who wrote a memoir called "Mule" about a six-month stint as a Texas-based courier. "Then it becomes routine to the point where you just laugh at it."
Government officials say the majority of drug mules are Mexican but experts say there are plenty of U.S. citizens involved, too.
Caleb Mason, a former federal prosecutor and law professor who consults on drug-smuggling cases, said an analysis of nearly 4,000 federal busts at Southern California crossings from 2007 to 2010 showed 45% of the suspects were Americans, and the rest Mexican.
A study by the Center for Investigative Reporting earlier this year found three out of four people caught with drugs by Border Patrol were U.S. citizens, though the agency said that number was skewed because some of the drugs were for personal use and did not represent trafficking.
A car with bricks of marijuana concealed in its bumper is seized by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents work along the U.S.- Mexico border crossing joining Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, to San Diego, California.
A car with bricks of marijuana concealed in its bumper is seized by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents work along the U.S.- Mexico border crossing joining Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, to San Diego, California.Erin Siegal / Redux
While many drugs are driven in, some marijuana is brought in by "backpackers" — usually Mexicans or Central and South Americans — who hike for hours or even days with loads that weigh up to 50 pounds until they sneak across the border, said Ronald Colburn, former national deputy chief of the Border Patrol.
In the filing, Paul is described as Combs’ “mule.” Photos of Paul and Combs together were reportedly submitted in the case to support claims that Paul acquired and distributed guns and drugs for the rapper. He is additionally accused of aiding and abetting Combs and his associates in the alleged sex trafficking by paying sex workers in cash.
Recruiting mules is often an informal word-of-mouth affair, experts said. "There will be people who know you cross a lot and generally someone will say, 'You want to make a little extra money?'" Mason said.
Americans who cross into Mexico to buy drugs will sometimes be asked if they want to take a load back, Mason said.
Some Mexicans are offered a discount by human smugglers to carry drugs as they cross the border, said Colburn, who is now with the Command Consulting Group. Others, he said, have uncles and brothers who were mules.
The concept of drug muling is ridiculous. I I feel that athletes who get caught in the act aren't as sucessful as advertised. They have lost their way and will most likely do anything to regain their fortunes. However, their star power won't protect them from trouble.
The only thing that that doing these illegal acts will do is make someone put them in the spotlight but for the wrong reasons. It will leave a pernament marker and stain on a person's name.