Former Arsenal player Emmanuel-Thomas arrested over alleged ₦1.2bn cannabis smuggling

Former Arsenal footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has reportedly been arrested for attempting to smuggle cannabis worth ₦1.2 billion.

The 33-year-old, currently playing for Greenock Morton in the Scottish Championship, was apprehended on Wednesday by the National Crime Agency (NCA) with support from Police Scotland.

Emmanuel-Thomas was found with 60kg of cannabis concealed in two suitcases that had arrived on a flight from Bangkok. The former Arsenal forward, who joined the club at age 8, spent most of his time playing for the reserves before being loaned out to clubs like Blackpool, Doncaster Rovers, and Cardiff City.

Throughout his 16-year career, Emmanuel-Thomas has played for 15 clubs, including Ipswich Town, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers (QPR), Livingston, and Aberdeen, and represented England at U-17 and U-19 levels.

Despite scoring 78 goals in 384 appearances, he has yet to find the back of the net in six games for Greenock Morton this season.