Scottish Influencer Jailed 16 Months for £150,000 Cannabis Smuggling at Edinburgh Airport
23-year-old Glasgow woman claimed she was forced into carrying 17kg of drugs by ex-boyfriend
Quick Look
- 23-year-old Scottish influencer Ellie Crampsie has been jailed for 16 months for smuggling 17kg of cannabis worth £150,000 through Edinburgh Airport.
- The Glasgow woman, known as a nightlife promoter with around 11,500 social media followers, claimed she was forced into carrying the drugs by her ex-boyfriend.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
This case highlights how drug trafficking operations sometimes recruit individuals through personal relationships, with the court acknowledging a power imbalance in the ex-partner's influence over Crampsie.
An aspiring Scottish social media influencer has been jailed for 16 months after being caught smuggling £150,000 of cannabis at Edinburgh Airport. Ellie Crampsie admitted carrying 17kg of the Class B drug in a suitcase as she travelled home from a holiday in Thailand in April last year. The 23-year-old, from Broomhouse in Glasgow, told Edinburgh Sheriff Court she had been forced into carrying the drugs by an ex-boyfriend. Crampsie, who is known as a promoter on Glasgow's nightlife and events scene, has about 5,500 followers on Instagram and 6,000 on TikTok. Sheriff Graeme Watson acknowledged she had been "naive and potentially taken advantage of" by her ex. He said: "You knew your former partner had been involved in drugs and he asked you to check in his luggage. Your role was one of carrying the cannabis in your luggage and I accept there was a power imbalance in the relationship." Crampsie was stopped by border control officers after arriving on an Air France flight from Thailand via Paris. The suitcase, which Crampsie said belonged to her ex-boyfriend, also contained female clothing. The value of the drugs was estimated to be between £115,000 and £151,000. Crampsie's lawyer, Michael Poggi, said she had played a "lesser role" in the transport of the drugs and there was "evidence of pressure" from others. He told the court a "much older person" had a "controlling influence" over her.
Open Questions
- Who was the ex-boyfriend and what was his involvement in the drug operation?
- Was this part of a larger organized crime network?
- Will there be any investigation into the ex-boyfriend?






