Edinburgh student jailed for two years after hiding 10kg of cannabis in a suitcase

An Edinburgh University art student has been sentenced for two years for attempting to smuggle £100,000 of cannabis into Scotland.

Zixian Long, 21, was caught with 10kg of cannabis in her suitcase at Glasgow Airport on Hogmanay 2017.

The student was returning from Barcelona when stopped by Border Force officers who found the drugs in her shrink wrapped case.

She was later tried and convicted in Paisley Sheriff Court

Long was found guilty of being "knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on the importation of controlled drugs" by importing herbal cannabis through the airport on 31 December, 2017, and was also convicted of being "concerned in the supplying of a controlled drug" on the same date.

Det Con Alan Ferguson confirmed with the court that the drugs haul was worth £100,000 if divided up for lower deals or £40,000 if bought wholesale.

Long said her mother had been approached online by someone who offered to pay her trip if she brought luggage back from Barcelona. She explained: "There was an opportunity to go to Barcelona for free and my mum asked me if I wanted to go with her."

Most Read

I went on a night out with Bonnie Blue – it was uncomfortable and she’s dead behind the eyes

Bonnie Blue’s video birthday messages to 16-year-olds are the final nail in the coffin

Meet OnlyFans’ gay ‘golden boy’ Ashton, and the thirsty clip that’s earned him 33 MILLION views

Her mother then asked her to bring a suitcase back. She explained: "She [my mother] said if I could bring this luggage back for them this time they would pay my trip.

"I wanted to do my mum a favour. I wasn't thinking too much. I just thought 'I'll help someone to take their luggage'. "I am her only child and we have a tie of love with each other."

Defence Solicitor Advocate Maurice Smyth said Long's life had been ruined by these actions. He went on to say: "The background of Miss Long is impeccable – she has no previous convictions or, even, the slightest brush with the law. She lives with her father who is a doctor and has a medical practice in Edinburgh."

Smyth added: "This is a horrific stain on the character of her family and on herself. Personally, socially and career-wise, the consequences of a conviction are so devastating she can't see any possibility of recovery for herself or for her family."

Long was jailed for two years, backdated to December when she was first remanded in custody. The judge said: "Having regard to the quantity, the value and the potential value of the controlled drugs, I consider that no sentence other than a sentence of imprisonment is appropriate."

Featured image credit: Emirates EK27 from Glasgow , Scotland [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons