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LEWIS ELLIS AND JAMES POUTCH HAD GONE TO THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN COUNTRY TO PARTY AT THE WATER FESTIVAL 18:47, 30 May 2025 Two men found themselves in the dock after returning from a three-week
holiday to Thailand. Lewis Ellis and James Poutch had gone to the South-east Asian country to party at the Water Festival in April this year. However, the pair were pulled by customs
officials upon their return to Manchester Airport and were confronted over the contents of their suitcases. Ellis, 20, told them: “I have cannabis in my bag, I may as well tell you because
you’re going to see it.” Officers found a total of 37 kilos of the drug in both suitcases, in plastic-sealed packages, reports the Manchester Evening News. As a judge dubbed the incident as
‘naive and stupid’, both were handed suspended sentences. They had both earlier pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of class B
drugs. Georgia Kennedy-Curnow, prosecuting, said Ellis and Poutch, 19, were stopped at Manchester Airport having flown from Bangkok via Abu Dhabi. She said Ellis was first confronted by
officers, and said he had been on a three-week leisure trip with a friend he knew from school. While searching his luggage they found 19.83 kilos of cannabis. Poutch was spoken to a short
time later. He told officers that he packed the suitcase himself and confirmed he wasn’t looking after it for somebody else. In the suitcase was 17.22 kilos. Ms Kennedy-Curnow said:
"The defendant said he had lost his phone abroad and both defendants gave no comment in their interviews." Representing both, Simon Hustler said: “The defendants would not seek to
persuade the court that this was anything other than naked stupidity by two young men. “Their families are in court today and are as livid as they were when they were before the lower
court.” He said for Ellis, who had eight previous convictions on his record, this was a "last chance saloon". Mr Hustler added that they had both paid for the holiday, and
travelled there to attend the Water festival. However, it was while they were there that they came into contact with individuals in Thailand and they decided to transport the drugs.
Sentencing, Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said: “You had an operational function in the chain, to courier these drugs into another country. “This was naive and stupid for both of you - you exposed
yourselves to the risk of imprisonment.” Poutch, of Fenby Gardens, Bradford was handed 16 months suspended for two years. Ellis, of no fixed abode, was handed 18 months suspended for two
years. Both were ordered to complete 240 hours unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Article continues below