By Ben Church, CNN

Former soccer player Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in orchestrating the smuggling of over 132 pounds (60 kilograms) of cannabis worth around $800,000, according to both the Chelmsford Crown Court and the UK’s National Crime Agency ( NCA ).

Emmanuel-Thomas – whose former clubs include Premier League side Arsenal and recently relegated Ipswich Town – recruited two women to collect the cannabis from Thailand and transport it back to the UK, the NCA said in a statement.

The two women involved were stopped by authorities in September after landing at Stansted Airport having flown from Bangkok and were originally charged with smuggling cannabis. However, the pair believed that they were transporting gold in two suitcases eac

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