They weren't ordinary tourists and came home with much more than souvenirs

Two friends who landed back in the UK after a whirlwind girls' trip around the world returned with more than just a tan, despite telling officers otherwise. Sophie Bannister, 30, from Withington, and Levi-April Whalley, 31, from Lancashire, were startled when Birmingham Airport's border force searched their bags and discovered 70 heat-sealed packages containing drugs with a street value of more than £160,000.

Whalley, who with Bannister had flaunted her jetset lifestyle on social media, told officers she believed their bag to be brimming with shopping items such as watches. However, a text exchange uncovered they were part of a major plan to bring drugs into the UK. Both Bannister and Whalley had been caught trying to smuggle 35kg of cannabis, designated as a Class B drug, upon returning to home soil before they were apprehended in December 2023. On Instagram, the friends had posted tourist snaps from around the world, including Thailand, Greece, and Ibiza. But it was on the app where their downfall would begin.

"We got approached on Instagram by a girl I'd met in Marbella," Bannister claimed to the Mirror. "She asked if we wanted to travel to New York around Christmas. All we had to do was bring some watches back."

The women explained what led to their arrests after being handed suspended sentences in April.

Bannister, was sentenced to 20 months suspended for 18 months with 30 days rehabilitation activities and 200 hours of unpaid work. Whalley was handed a 16-month sentence suspended for 18 months, with 10 days rehabilitation and 80 hours of unpaid work. They had both pleaded guilty to the fraudulent evasion of prohibition.

The court was informed that both women were susceptible to exploitation owing to their personal and financial situations, which is how they claim to have been embroiled in a cannabis smuggling ring.

Bannister, who had temporarily relocated to Dubai, found herself in debt at the time, while Whalley admitted to suffering from 'personal issues' at home, so the pair saw the trip as an opportunity to see the world.

"Back then, I wasn't even thinking about the consequences or the risk. I've always wanted to go to New York, since I was a little girl," Whalley said.

Bannister added: "We were stupid and naive and vulnerable."

Stopping off at iconic destinations such as New York, the pair posted pics from a bus tour, stopping off at the Statue of Liberty and Times Square, seemingly unfazed that the suitcases they were to fly home with were stuffed with drugs.

"You just enjoy the holiday and don't really have to think about what you were actually doing," Whalley explained, but both women, as they told airport security when busted, claim they weren't "fully aware" of what they were smuggling.

Upon sentencing, the judge didn't care for this admission, telling the pair: "You were both aware that, having travelled from New York to Birmingham via Paris, you had in your respective suitcases a significant quantity of heat-sealed bags containing 35.5kg of cannabis."

After being questioned on why they didn't seek help or alert authorities before travelling back to the UK, Bannister said: "We were too deep in it by that point and they knew a lot about where we both lived, our families and stuff.

"It was very stupid. The biggest mistake. We'll regret it for the rest of our lives."