Bernard Kennedy caught with 48kg cannabis at Manchester Airport

A drug mule named Bernard Kennedy, 46, was caught with 48 kilograms of cannabis at Manchester Airport after returning from a trip to Thailand.

He had flown from Bangkok via Dubai, but when his bags were delayed, officers found them filled with vacuum-sealed cannabis worth up to £144,000.

Once the suitcases arrived, Kennedy confirmed they belonged to him. He was arrested and later admitted in court that he was involved in smuggling a class B drug.

Kennedy claimed he “ran out of money” while abroad and that some people offered him money to bring the bags back to Manchester. But the judge didn’t believe that story, especially after learning that Kennedy had made multiple trips to Thailand over the previous months.

His lawyer said Kennedy had a personal relationship that made him travel frequently and that this was his only offense. He added that Kennedy was “extremely remorseful”, explaining how people like him are often just “drug mules”—they take all the risk but get very little reward.

The court also heard that Kennedy had worked for 20 years in a children’s home, but started struggling with his mental health after his father passed away.

In the end, the judge sentenced him to two years in prison, saying Kennedy must have known how big the smuggling operation was, especially from the weight of the suitcases. Kennedy will serve half the sentence in prison and the rest on licence (supervision outside jail).

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