Sophie Bannister, 30, and Levi-April Whalley, 31, from Blackburn, were stopped by Border Force officials at Birmingham International Airport after a trip to New York
Two glamorous pals who were nabbed smuggling more than 35kg of cannabis in their suitcase on a return flight to the UK have broken their silence about their 15-month “nightmare”.
Sophie Bannister, 30, and Levi-April Whalley, 31, from Blackburn, informed Border Force officials they had been on a three-day shopping extravaganza in New York City when they were intercepted at Birmingham International Airport in December 2023. However, upon inspection of their bags, drugs worth more than £160,000 on the street were swiftly uncovered.
But when 70 heat-sealed packages were discovered hidden in the luggage, Whalley desperately claimed the parcels contained watches.
However, the truth quickly unfolded as text messages exposed that the high-flying friends were involved in a significant scheme to smuggle drugs into the UK.
They both later admitted to fraudulent evasion of prohibition. The globe-trotting duo flaunted their picture-perfect travels across the world on their Instagram accounts before their dreamy existence came crashing down, reports the Mirror.
The “unbreakable” duo were in tears, clutching hands as they received suspended sentences at Preston Crown Court this week; Bannister’s 20-month sentence was suspended for 18 months while Whalley got a 16-month term, also suspended for the same period. The court was told that both women were susceptible to exploitation due to their personal and financial struggles.
Speaking to The Mirror about how they got entangled in a cannabis smuggling ring, they claim it all began with a single social media message from a girl Sophie met in Marbella.
“She asked if we wanted to travel to New York around Christmas. All we had to do was bring some watches back,” Sophie said.
The pair had their reasons for agreeing to what appeared to be an incredible offer. Sophie was trying to clear debts from her time in Dubai, while Levi sought a break from “personal issues” back home.
They also viewed it as a chance to see the world.
Having seen others on social media undertake similar journeys, they proceeded. “We were stupid and naïve and vulnerable,” Sophie admitted.
“You just enjoy the holiday and don’t really have to think about what you were actually doing,” Levi added.
Both pals maintained that they were not “fully aware” of what filled their case to the brim, yet the judge said: “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.”
Quizzed on why they hadn’t sounded off the alarm upon realising the affair with the drugs before jetting back home, Sophie conceded: “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.”
Levi shared the unnerving sensation of being under surveillance at the airport just before they found the drugs, leading to a swift onset of panic. “We could have still probably chosen to leave the bags, I don’t know, but I think I felt we were just too far deep in it,” the 31-year-old reflected.
Recounting the harrowing experience of getting caught, Levi continued: “I can’t even describe it our hearts sank. It was that moment you just, your life shattered. We were both crying, thinking, oh, God, what are we going to do? We just looked at each other and thought. What the f****, what have we done? What have we really got ourselves wrapped up in here?”.
Their return home marked a drastic shift in their lives. Sophie, who attended a private boarding school, was ousted from her family home, as her company director mother believed she had disgraced the family.
While Levi’s family stood by her, she was sacked from her nursing job, and her licence is on the brink of being revoked.
In the past 15 months, the pair have faced up to the fallout of their offence.
Since then, Levi has become a mother to a five-month-old daughter, and tragically, her own mother passed away just last week, shortly before her sentencing.
Judge Richard Archer considered these extenuating circumstances when delivering their sentence on Wednesday. He remarked: “This was not your cannabis, but cannabis you were carrying on behalf of another. You were expecting a significant financial advantage for doing what you did. You discussed it in relation to this trip to New York, with a clear view of the money you were going to make from behaving this way.”
Sophie was handed a suspended sentence along with an order to finish 30 days of rehab activities and 200 hours of community work. Meanwhile, Levi, found with a larger stash of cannabis, was also given a suspended sentence with conditions to undertake 10 days of rehabilitation and complete 80 hours of unpaid work.