An aspiring Scottish social media influencer was jailed for 16 months after being caught smuggling £150,000 of cannabis at Edinburgh Airport.[1] Ellie Crampsie admitted carrying 17kg of the Class B drug in a suitcase as she travelled home from a holiday in Thailand in April last year.[1] The 23-year-old, from Broomhouse in Glasgow, told Edinburgh Sheriff Court she had been forced into carrying the drugs by an ex-boyfriend.[1] Sheriff Graeme Watson acknowledged she had been naive and potentially taken advantage of by her ex.[1] The sheriff said her role was carrying the cannabis in her luggage and accepted there was a power imbalance in the relationship.[1] At sentencing, Sheriff Watson accepted Crampsie had a lesser degree of culpability but said her decision was reckless and merited a jail sentence.[1]
Crampsie was stopped by border control officers after arriving on an Air France flight from Thailand via Paris.[1] The suitcase, which Crampsie said belonged to her ex-boyfriend, also contained female clothing.[1] The value of the drugs was estimated to be between £115,000 and £151,000.[1]
Crampsie, known as a promoter on Glasgow’s nightlife and events scene, has about 5,500 followers on Instagram and 6,000 on TikTok.[1] Her lawyer, Michael Poggi, said she had played a lesser role in transporting the drugs and there was evidence of pressure from others.[1] He told the court a much older person had a controlling influence over her.[1]
