Too Hot to Handle star caught smuggling £150k of cannabis in Thailand avoids jail

Olga Bednarska, who starred on the third series of hit Netflix show Too Hot to Handle, pleaded guilty after she returned to the UK with two suitcases filled with cannabis

A Too Hot to Handle star was caught smuggling £150,000 worth of cannabis on a flight from Thailand in a drugs bust,

Olga Bednarska, who has appeared on the hit Netflix reality show, was stopped by custom officers at Manchester Airport. She had two large suitcases containing 40kg of cannabis. Bednarska, 27, claimed she was given the bags by a friend called "Tex". The influencer said Tex had paid for her flights from Phuket and wanted her to bring back designer clothes and watches.

Bednarska was arrested and later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug. The former TV star had been in custody since her arrest last month and wept as she was spared jail. She was instead handed a suspended sentence.

Judge John Potter told the court Bednarska had accumulated a debt of £16,000 while trying to fund her lavish lifestyle. Bednarska had "lived beyond her means" and turned to crime in an effort to clear her debt, the court heard. She had agreed to fly to Thailand and on all-expenses paid trip to import designer items in return for £18,000.

Bednarska met an "associate" of Tex on October 10 before she checked into her free hotel room. The Netflix star was given "spending money" that she used to buy two suitcase for the smuggled goods. She was asked to provide items to "cover up" the designer clothes and watches. Bednarska was meant to have nothing more to do with it.

She flew home on October 20 and upon landing was stopped by Border Force officials. Bednarska confirmed she had packed the bags herself and was asked to unlock the suitcases. However, she was unable to open them as she didn't have the code. Bednarska told the officers she had been given the bags at the airport.

Under her clothes, there were a number of vacuum sealed bags of cannabis. The total weight of the drugs came to 39.4kg, which was said to be worth around £157,600. Judge Potter said: "You decided to place your trust in someone you hardly knew. You were acting under the direction of others, potentially for further profit.

“I am sure you can imagine the harm that wholesale value drugs have on our communities when they are sold for profit. You have directly contributed to this by agreeing to do what you did.” Bednarska was handed a 20 month sentence, which has been suspended for two years.

She was ordered to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements. Bednarska is known for appearing on series 3 of Netflix show Too Hot to Handle. She is originally from Poland, but lives in Manchester and has a large social media following where she posts snaps from her lavish trips around the world.

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