From teenage Arsenal prodigy to convicted drug smuggler

As a footballer, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas seemed destined for greatness. But a drug-smuggling condemnation has near his vocation and estimation successful tatters. How did things unravel truthful dramatically for a subordinate erstwhile tipped for the top?

Hailed by legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger arsenic a footballer who could "play anywhere", Emmanuel-Thomas was marked retired aboriginal connected arsenic having elite potential.

Imposing, technically talented and amazingly agile, the striker appeared to person the satellite astatine his feet.

But a vocation that promised truthful overmuch astatine Arsenal faltered and saw him walk years flitting betwixt the 2nd and 3rd tiers of English football.

In 2020 helium moved to play successful Scotland and was inactive plying his commercialized northbound of the borderline when, connected 18 September, helium was arrested astatine his location successful Gourock, adjacent Glasgow.

Sixteen days earlier, Border Force officers had stopped 2 women astatine London Stansted Airport and recovered drugs successful their cases.

It was not a insignificant haul; they were staring astatine cannabis with a thoroughfare worth of £600,000.

How did it get there? The grounds soon led detectives to Emmanuel-Thomas.

Wind backmost a decennary and a half, and things were precise different.

It is 26 May 2009, and Arsenal's latest batch of academy talents tin hardly incorporate their excitement.

The young prospects, including Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin, person conscionable won the FA Youth Cup.

One subordinate successful peculiar has stood out: their 16-year-old captain, Emmanuel-Thomas, who has scored successful each circular of the competition.

"These young men person a precise agleam aboriginal indeed," remarked one commentator.

But contempt going connected to marque 5 first-team appearances, it was not rather to beryllium for Emmanuel-Thomas.

He was shipped retired connected respective loans earlier leaving the northbound London nine for Ipswich Town.

It was a determination that excited supporters successful Suffolk, who were keen to spot what the erstwhile Arsenal starlet could produce.

However, 71 games and 8 goals later, Emmanuel-Thomas had not rather made the people fans hoped for, and helium moved to Bristol City successful a subordinate speech deal.

Here, helium helped the Robins unafraid promotion to the Championship and became thing of a cult hero, scoring 21 goals successful his archetypal season.

A determination to Queens Park Rangers followed, with consequent indebtedness spells astatine MK Dons and Gillingham.

But successful 2019, Emmanuel-Thomas accepted a transportation to a Thai-based squad that would change the people of his life.

It is believed helium was tempted into the country's drugs underworld portion playing for PTT Rayong, a nine that folded successful the aforesaid year.

Despite aboriginal moves to an Indian broadside and respective Scottish outfits, including Aberdeen, Emmanuel-Thomas ne'er shook disconnected the transgression connections helium made.

By the clip helium took a six-month declaration astatine Greenock Morton, a 40-minute thrust from Glasgow, the crippled was astir up.

As helium lined up for them against Queens Park connected 14 September, helium would person surely known the instrumentality was astir to drawback up with him.

The women arrested astatine Stansted were his 33-year-old girlfriend, Yasmin Piotrowska, and her person Rosie Rowland, 28.

Emmanuel Thomas, by past 33, appeared successful tribunal charged with orchestrating the attempted importation of drugs, and was sacked by his club.

Detectives discovered helium had duped Ms Piotrowska, from north-west London, and Ms Rowland, from Chelmsford, into travelling to Thailand with the committedness of £2,500 successful currency and an all-expenses-paid trip.

Their job? To bring location 2 suitcases each, filled with what they were assured was gold, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

They flew concern people from Bangkok, landing successful Essex via Dubai.

Unknown to them, they were smuggling successful cannabis with a thoroughfare worth of £600,000, vacuum-packed wrong the 4 cases.

The brace were stopped and arrested by Border Force officers, earlier being charged with cause importation offences.

With the brace successful custody, and Emmanuel-Thomas aboriginal remanded, constabulary probed however the drugs made it to the UK.

They soon recovered the subordinate was the intermediary betwixt suppliers successful Thailand and dealers successful the UK, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

With the footballer's encouragement, the women had besides made a near-identical travel successful July, having been made akin promises of currency and a lavish holiday.

On his mode to custody, Emmanuel-Thomas adjacent told NCA officers: "I conscionable consciousness atrocious for the girls."

His first tribunal proceeding successful September was told helium carried retired "extensive research" into flights and directions, including which airports the women had been going to.

David Philips, a elder NCA investigator, said "organised criminals similar Emmanuel-Thomas" utilized persuasion and outgo to get radical to bash their soiled work.

"But the hazard of getting caught is precise precocious and it simply isn't worthy it," helium added.

During respective tribunal appearances, Emmanuel-Thomas, of Cardwell Road, Gourock, strenuously denied attempting to import cannabis.

However, helium changed his plea to blameworthy astatine the commencement of May and restrictions connected reporting this were lifted connected Wednesday.

Charges against some Ms Piotrowska and Ms Rowland were dropped aft the prosecution revealed they had been tricked by Emmanuel-Thomas.

It followed what David Josse KC described arsenic a "very thorough investigation".

Emmanuel-Thomas appeared via video nexus from HMP Chelmsford astatine his latest tribunal hearing.

When helium returns to tribunal for sentencing, connected a day inactive to beryllium confirmed, it volition not beryllium his archetypal clip successful the spotlight.

But it volition beryllium for precise antithetic reasons to the time helium lifted that trophy aloft successful 2009.