Leeds businessman smuggled kilogrammes of cannabis into UK from Thailand
A Leeds man used relaxed cannabis laws in Thailand to import kilogrammes of the drug into the UK.
Jay Shah had more than 50 suspected customers and boasted about having an 80% success rate of successfully delivering packages from south-east Asia.
The 25-year-old admitted a charge of fraudulent evasion of a prohibition by bringing into the UK a controlled drug.
He appeared at Leeds Crown Court over a video link from HMP Leeds, where he has been held on remand for the past six months.
His operation only came to the police’s attention after officers made arrests in Armley in October 2024 and found a message chat between one of those taken into custody and Shah.
Shah had been using Telegram - an encrypted app often used by criminals to cover their tracks - to talk about prices and various strains of cannabis that he was growing in Thailand, where it is no longer illegal.
The court heard that Shah was “operating like a legitimate business” to strike deals.
He said eight of out 10 packages he sent made it to their destination without being seized.
Shah said he split his time between Thailand and the UK and he was eventually arrested from his address on Stonegate Road, Meanwood, in July last year.
His phone was seized and it was found he was chatting to around 50 “customers” and was shipping kilogramme or half-kilogramme packages across the world.
The court was told that 17 shipments had been seized, sent by Shah, between March 2024 and July 2025.
He has previous convictions for possessing cannabis and drink driving.
Mitigating, David McGonigal said that Shah had initially travelled to Thailand on a holiday but decided to set up a cannabis company as a new business venture.
The drug was made legal in Thailand in 2022 and Shah got the necessary licence. He then invested in a legitimate cannabis farm, employing local people.
However, after a poor first crop, found himself in debt so “stupidly” opted to smuggle the drug to the UK, selling at inflated prices compared to its value in Thailand.
Mr McGonigal added: “He has let his family down, he has let himself down.
“He did not set to import cannabis. He is remorseful. He has found himself a long way from the life he had and has learned a harsh lesson.”
Judge Andrew Stubbs KC described Shah as an intelligent and resourceful man” and added: “You saw an opening after the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand. You saw a business opportunity.
“You set up a business legitimately but overstretched yourself. You could not resist.”
He jailed Shah for four years.