A British mother has been charged with trafficking drugs into Germany after being caught allegedly smuggling cannabis from Thailand.
Cameron Bradford, 21, from Knebworth in Hertfordshire, was arrested at Munich Airport on April 22 when she attempted to collect her luggage.
Authorities had become suspicious after she allegedly changed her flight at the last minute, having originally been due to fly to London Heathrow via Singapore.
Her family had filed a missing person report after raising concerns when she did not return home as expected, but then learned the next day she was in Germany.
Miss Bradford was arrested and held in custody – and has now been charged with attempted transit of cannabis and abetting the international trafficking of cannabis.
The mother, who has a young son, is set to make an appearance at a hearing in Munich District Court on August 6 as authorities continue to investigate.
A Foreign Office spokesman said today: ‘We are supporting a British woman who is detained in Germany and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.’
Miss Bradford’s arrest is one of a series of cases involving suspected young British female drug mules stopped by police at airports in countries around the world.
Cameron Bradford, 21, of Knebworth, Hertfordshire, was arrested at Munich Airport on April 22
Miss Bradford faces charges including abetting the international trafficking of cannabis
Following her arrest, Munich chief prosecutor Anne Leiding said: ‘We can confirm that we are conducting proceedings in this matter. The defendant is still in custody.’
Germany legalised cannabis for recreational use by adults in February 2024, but this did not extend to tourists – and the unauthorised import of the drug is illegal.
Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, but last month brought in new rules which restrict the sale of the drug to those with a doctor’s prescription.
A UK Border Force and Thai customs agreement called Operation Chaophraya which aims to reduce attempted cannabis smuggling was launched in July last year.
The Home Office said in April that the scheme was working after cannabis arrivals by post from Thailand dropped by 90 per cent in the first three months of 2025.
Parcels from Thailand must now be checked before they are shipped – and over 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted cannabis smuggling since the operation began.
MailOnline contacted the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office and the UK’s Foreign Office for comment today.
Police became suspicious when Miss Bradford allegedly changed her flight at the last minute
Security at Munich Airport in Germany (file photograph), where Miss Bradford was stopped
Separately, MailOnline revealed today that a British mother was arrested in Mauritius accused of trying to smuggle cannabis inside her six-year-old son’s suitcase.
Natashia Artug, 35, of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was detained alongside seven other people accused of carrying more than 161kg of the drug – worth £1.6million – in their luggage.
The boy’s luggage alone is said to have had 24 packages of drugs wrapped in clear cellophane inside weighing 14kg.
Campaign group Justice Abroad claimed Ms Artug is ‘vulnerable’ and was coerced into travelling to Mauritius by people involved in the drug trade who threatened her and her family, adding that she did not know the bags contained cannabis.
Miss Artug’s partner Florian Lisman, a 38-year-old Romanian, was also arrested and said to be carrying 32 drug packages, an iPhone and £260.
The other Britons detained were Patrick Lee Wilsdon, 22, Lily Watson, 20, Shannon Ellen Josie Holness 29, Laura Amy Kappen 28, and Shona Campbell, 32, who each had between 30 and 32 packages, according to local newspaper Le Mauricien.
They were all on the same British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam airport last month. The suspects have all been charged with drug trafficking and remain in custody.
British mother Natashia Artug, 35, was detained in Mauritius alongside seven other people accused of carrying more than 161 kilograms of the drug – worth £1.6 million – in their luggage
Bella Culley, 18, from Billingham in County Durham, was arrested in Georgia in May after allegedly carrying 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish into the country from Thailand
Charlotte Lee May, 21, South London, was locked up in a Sri Lankan jail after police allegedly discovered 46kg of ‘Kush’ – a synthetic strain of cannabis – in her suitcase from Thailand
A series of other cases in recent months have seen Brits arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling.
One of the most high profile involves 18-year-old Bella Culley, from Billingham in County Durham, who was arrested in Georgia in May after allegedly carrying 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish into the country from Thailand, where she had been on holiday.
Earlier this month her trial was postponed immediately after it began due to issues concerning evidence.
She could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted, and her next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
Another case in May saw 21-year-old Charlotte Lee May, from Coulsdon in South London locked up in a Sri Lankan prison after police allegedly discovered 46kg of ‘Kush’ – a synthetic strain of cannabis – in her suitcase when she arrived on a flight from Thailand.
The former cabin crew member for Tui was placed in handcuffs after £1.15million worth of cannabis was allegedly found in her luggage – and could face up to 25 years in prison if found guilty.
OnlyFans model Clara Wilson, 36, from Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire, allegedly tried to smuggle around £200,000 of Thai cannabis into Spain – with more than 34kg of cannabis found in her suitcases at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport.
OnlyFans model Clara Wilson, 36, from Nottinghamshire, allegedly tried to smuggle around £200,000 of Thai cannabis into Spain – with more than 34kg of cannabis found in her suitcases
British beautician Kimberly Hall, 29, was accused of attempting to smuggle $6.2million of cocaine from Chicago O’ Hare Airport to the UK, having come off a flight from Cancun
British beautician Kimberly Hall, 29, from Middlesbrough, is in custody in the US after being accused of attempting to smuggle $6.2million of cocaine from Chicago O’ Hare Airport to the UK, having come off a flight from Cancun in Mexico.
Robert Brown, 41, from Newcastle, was arrested in Cambodia last month after allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly 20kg of marijuana into the UK – just hours after he was reported missing by his girlfriend.
Police found 22 packages of cannabis weighing nearly 20kg hidden inside his luggage at Phnom Penh Airport. The drugs, which police believe originated in Thailand, are thought to have a street value of around £200,000.
Brown has been charged with the use, possession, trafficking and transport of drugs and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
And 79-year-old William ‘Billy Boy’ Eastment, a bowls-loving pensioner from Somerset, faces dying in prison after he was allegedly intercepted at Santiago Airport in Chile with £200,000 worth of meth.
