A 24-year-old student shared her shock as she faced imminent arrest when Border Force officials inspected her luggage at an airport. Kertania Odususi, hailing from Croydon, London, arrived at Edinburgh Airport from Thailand in March last year with two suitcases filled with a significant amount of cannabis. She claimed innocence, stating she had unknowingly carried the illegal substance back from a free holiday, where she was asked to transport tobacco.
Odususi described the moment her world crumbled as officers opened her luggage, fearing the worst – arrest. According to Edinburgh Live, Border Force officers resorted to using bolt cutters to reveal 40 vacuum-sealed packages containing approximately 20 kilograms of cannabis. Subsequently, she was arrested, charged, and faced trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Accused of involvement in drug trafficking and evasion, Odususi’s trial revealed her journey from Thailand to Edinburgh via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. Customs officials intervened after she passed passport control. Odususi, a Criminology student at London Metropolitan University, claimed she had no means to open the suitcases herself, leading to the forced inspection by authorities.
Upon realizing the contents of her luggage, Odususi admitted to feeling sheer panic, anticipating her arrest. She expressed deep regret, acknowledging her naivety and poor judgment in partaking in the scheme. Despite denying awareness of the drug shipment, the court calculated the cannabis’s street value at £200,000. Odususi disclosed her involvement with a man who facilitated the flights and luggage exchange.
She detailed instructions to meet two individuals upon landing in Edinburgh to hand over the suitcases. Emotionally overwhelmed during her testimony, Odususi confessed to her mistakes and the gravity of the situation. Following jury deliberation, she was acquitted as the majority returned “not proven” verdicts on the charges, allowing Odususi to walk free from the court.
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