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Official reports confirmed on Thursday that a British couple travelling back from Thailand was apprehended at an Istanbul airport carrying 20 kg of cannabis.
Footage from Turkish customs on April 26 revealed that a suitcase owned by one of the individuals was packed with the illicit substances, which had been secured in vacuum-sealed packaging.
The two suspects, aged 20 according to several British media outlets, were arrested on April 26 before being questioned and placed in pre-trial detention.
"We are providing support to two British nationals detained in Türkiye as well as their families, and are in touch with local authorities," the British foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP.
Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, and after a spike in arrests at UK airports, British officials have repeatedly warned travellers not to bring the drug back home.
Two young French women -- also returning from Thailand -- were each sentenced to 10 years in prison in Türkiye after being arrested 10 months earlier at Istanbul airport with nearly 25 kg of cannabis.
In a report published last year, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) expressed concern over an increase in cannabis seizures originating from Thailand.
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