A professional football player admitted that he was involved in a plot, entering the UK from Thailand, with drugs worth £600,000 on the streets.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, 34, was arrested on September 2 after finding 60 kilograms (9.44st) in his suitcase arriving at London Stansted Airport in Essex on September 2.

He was fired by Scottish club Greenock Morton after being charged, and has previously played for Arsenal, Aberdeen, Ipswich Town and England in the youth class.

The father of two will be sentenced later at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Emmanuel-Thomas of Cardwell Road, Gourock, near Glasgow, pleaded guilty to the offense in May. Reporting restrictions on the case were lifted Wednesday.

Prosecutor David Josse KC said it was a "very thorough investigation" conducted by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Emmanuel-Thomas recruited his 33-year-old girlfriend, Yasmin Piotrowska, and her friend Rosie Rowland, 28, to collect marijuana in Thailand and smuggle it to the UK.

The NCA said they received all the fees paid and promised to pay £2,500.

Meanwhile, football players are intermediaries between criminals in Thailand and the UK.

After flying from Bangkok, border troops officials at Stansted Airport stopped him and found four suitcases containing marijuana.

However, the charges were earlier on Southend Road, Ms Rowland and Ms Piotrowska in Purves Road in northwest London.

They cried because they were allowed to leave the dock, denied importing marijuana at an earlier hearing from July 1 to September 2.

Mr Jos said the investigation into their participation was stopped after analyzing Emmanuel-Thomas' phones.

"They think they are importing gold, not marijuana," the prosecutor said.

"I just feel sorry for the girls," the NCA added.

Emmanuel-Thomas has made five appearances for Arsenal and also played for Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, MK Dons and Thailand PTT Rayong in 2019.

He was fired by Scottish side Greenock Morton FC after being arrested at his home on September 18.

"Organized criminals like Emmanuel-Thomas can be very convincing and pay couriers," said David Philips, senior NCA investigator.

“But the risk of being caught is high, and it’s not worth it at all.”

The maximum sentence for smuggling marijuana into the UK is 14 years.