Seized cannabis was worth up to £600,000published at 15:17 British Summer Time 5 June
Josse says the cannabis seized at Stansted Airport had a wholesale value of about £250,000.
He adds it would have been worth £600,000 if sold on the street.
Summary
Ex-Arsenal, Aberdeen and Ipswich Town striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is sentenced to four years in prison after he admitted his involvement in a plot to smuggle £600,000 worth of cannabis into the UK
Border Force officers found 60kg (132lb) of the Class B drug stashed in four suitcases at London Stansted Airport last September
Emmanuel-Thomas was the middleman between drug suppliers in Thailand and dealers in the UK, the National Crime Agency said
He was sacked by Scottish side Greenock Morton after the allegations came to light, having also previously played for Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers and MK Dons
Seized cannabis was worth up to £600,000published at 15:17 British Summer Time 5 June
Emmanuel-Thomas used influence as footballer to prepare plotpublished at 15:16 British Summer Time 5 June
Josse says Emmanuel-Thomas had a “significant role” in the drugs operation.
He used his influence as a professional footballer to sway Miss Piotrowska and Miss Rowland into working for him, Josse claims.
He offered them £2,500 plus a free holiday to Thailand, while Emmanuel-Thomas himself was expecting £5,000 for a successful operation.
Phone was replaced after womens' arrestpublished at 15:14 British Summer Time 5 June
The prosecutor is now telling the court more about the build-up to Emmanuel-Thomas’ arrest.
It took place at his home address in Cardwell Road, in Gourock near Glasgow, Scotland, on the morning of 18 September.
By that point, he had already visited Miss Piotrowska in London, Josse says.
When Miss Piotrowska was stopped and searched at Stansted Airport, Josse reveals Emmanuel-Thomas messaged her to say “delete everything from our chat if you can”.
He says Emmanuel-Thomas travelled to Stratford, east London, on 5 September and replaced his mobile phone.
Emmanuel-Thomas 'recruited' women to help smuggle drugspublished at 15:13 British Summer Time 5 June
The investigation started when 60kg (132lb) of cannabis was found at London Stansted Airport on 2 September 2024.
It had been brought into the country by Emmanuel-Thomas’ girlfriend, Yasmin Piotrowska, and Rosie Rowland, who had flown business class from Thailand to Essex.
Emmanuel-Thomas was linked to the discovery by numerous WhatsApp messages, voice notes and pictures, the prosecutor says.
“It became apparent that Mr Emmanuel-Thomas had been involved in their recruitment and travel to Thailand,” he continues.
Emmanuel-Thomas was playing professional football for Greenock Morton Football Club at the time of his arrest, he adds.
Footballer watches on without much expressionpublished at 15:10 British Summer Time 5 June
Prosecutor David Josse KC, who appears via a video link, is now beginning to open the facts of the case.
He says Emmanuel-Thomas has spent the past eight and a half months since his arrest in custody.
The defendant is watching on without much expression.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas enters the dockpublished at 15:07 British Summer Time 5 June
After a brief delay, Emmanuel-Thomas has been brought into the large glass dock.
He is wearing a black roll-neck jumper beneath a grey suit jacket, and is flanked by two security guards.
Judge Alexander Mills has also taken his seat, and the sentencing hearing is about to begin.
Case called on at Chelmsford Crown Courtpublished at 14:59 British Summer Time 5 June
Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Crown CourtThe case has just been called on here in Court 2 in Chelmsford.
A busy stream of journalists from national newspapers and broadcasters has filtered into the room as a result.
We're expecting Emmanuel-Thomas to be brought into the dock any moment now.
What can we expect to happen today?published at 14:54 British Summer Time 5 June
Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Crown CourtThe BBC has reporters in court along with other journalists from various outlets.
Firstly, we will all listen as the prosecution outlines the facts of the case.
The maximum sentence for smuggling cannabis into the UK is 14 years in jail, and prosecutors will be arguing for the judge to impose as tough a prison term as possible.
Next, Emmanuel-Thomas’ defence barrister will present mitigation on his behalf, setting out reasons as to why he should get a lesser sentence.
Once that is all done, Judge Alexander Mills will weigh up both arguments to decide the sentence.
Who were the women with the cannabis?published at 14:48 British Summer Time 5 June
Image source, NCAThe pair stopped at Stansted Airport were Emmanuel-Thomas’ girlfriend, Yasmin Piotrowska, 33, and 29-year-old Rosie Rowland.
The NCA said he duped them into travelling to Thailand to collect the cannabis and smuggle it into the UK.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard last month that they thought they were importing gold, not cannabis. They were given an all-expenses-paid trip to the country and promised a payment of £2,500.
Following evidence found on Emmanuel-Thomas’ phone by the prosecution, drug importation charges against the women were dropped.
On his way to custody in September, Emmanuel-Thomas said, "I just feel sorry for the girls", the NCA has revealed,
Where did Emmanuel-Thomas play football?published at 14:42 British Summer Time 5 June
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Emmanuel-Thomas (centre) captained Arsenal to FA Youth Cup victory, aged 16. His team-mates included future England star Jack Wilshere (left)
Emmanuel-Thomas was hailed by legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as a footballer who could “play anywhere”.
He was marked out early on as having elite potential, being tall, technically gifted and agile – he soon won caps for England at youth level.
But his promising career faltered, and he spent years flitting between the second and third tiers of English football.
Emmanuel-Thomas was shipped out on several loans before leaving Arsenal for Ipswich Town
Later moves to Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers followed, with subsequent loan spells at MK Dons and Gillingham.
He moved to Thai-based team PTT Rayong in 2019, before playing for Scottish sides Livingston and Aberdeen, Indian club Jamshedpur, National League Kidderminster Harriers and then Greenock Morton in Scotland.
How did the investigation begin?published at 14:31 British Summer Time 5 June
Image source, NCAThe case dates back to 2 September last year, when Border Force officers at London Stansted Airport, in Essex, stopped two women returning from Bangkok.
They were carrying 60kg (132lb) of cannabis, vacuum-packed and stashed across four suitcases.
An investigation into how the drugs got there led detectives to Emmanuel-Thomas.
He was the middleman between drug suppliers in Thailand and dealers in the UK, according to the National Crime Agency
Sixteen days after the cannabis was found, Emmanuel-Thomas was arrested at his home in Cardwell Road, Gourock, which is near the Scottish city of Glasgow.
He has been remanded in custody since then, most recently at HMP Chelmsford.
Ex-Arsenal footballer being sentenced todaypublished at 14:16 British Summer Time 5 June
Image source, NCAWelcome to our live coverage of the sentencing of footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who orchestrated a plot to smuggle £600,000 worth of cannabis into the UK.
Border Force officers at London Stansted Airport recovered 60kg (132lb) of the drug on 2 September last year.
Detectives later found Emmanuel-Thomas, who played football for Arsenal, Aberdeen, Ipswich Town and England at youth level, had overseen the drug importation.
He admitted his involvement in May.
Our reporter will bring you key details from Chelmsford Crown Court from 15:00 BST. Stick with us.