Former Aberdeen star denies trying to smuggle £600k drugs...

Former Aberdeen star denies trying to smuggle £600k drugs into UK

A former football player for Aberdeen has refuted allegations that he imported class B narcotics.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was charged with attempting to smuggle £600,000 worth of cannabis through Stansted

Airport when he appeared in court.

Following his arrest last month, Scottish Championship team Greenock Morton fired the 33-year-old striker.

The former Livingston and Arsenal academy player entered a not guilty plea to importing class B narcotics when he

appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court via video connection on Friday from HMP Durham.

He is accused, together with co-defendants Rosie Rowland and Yasmin Piotrowska, of the alleged offence between

July 1 and September 2 of this year.

Rowland, 28, of Southend Road, Chelmsford, and 33-year-old Piotrowska of Purves Road, north-west London, both

also pleaded not guilty to the charge as they appeared in the dock of the court.

Emmanuel -Thomas, of Cardwell Road in Gourock, Inverclyde, was arrested in the town by National Crime Agency

(NCA) officers last month and was questioned before he was remanded into custody.

The footballer, who wore a grey prison-issue tracksuit and was seated for the court hearing, has also played for

Ipswich Town, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers and Thai side PTT Rayong.

On September 2, while the class B narcotic was being smuggled through Stansted, the NCA recovered an estimated

£600,000 of it, which led to his arrest.

Officers from the Border Force found about 60 kg of the narcotic in two suitcases that had been flown in from

Bangkok, Thailand.

A case management hearing is planned for January 6 and a trial, which is expected to last five to seven days, is

scheduled for a date to be determined.

Rowland and Piotrowska were released on bond until Emmanuel Thomas was placed under remand in custody by

Judge Christopher Morgan.

He said the trial could provisionally take place in May.