Influencer avoids jail after being caught with £150k worth of drugs on flight from Thailand to Manchester

An influencer and reality show star was caught with £150,000 worth of cannabis on a flight from Thailand to Manchester. Olga Bednarska, 27, said she was asked by a friend called ‘Tex’ to bring designer clothes and watches back from the country.

However in October this year, she was stopped by customs officials at Manchester Airport who became suspicious of her travel arrangements. She claimed she had packed the suitcases herself, but further scrutiny revealed almost 40 kilos of cannabis were concealed within her clothes.

Bednarska, who had previously appeared on Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug. She was handed a suspended sentence.

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Samuel Eskdale, prosecuting, said that Bednarska arrived at Manchester Airport from Phuket on October 20, with two large suitcases. She was questioned by Border Force officials, and confirmed she had packed the suitcases herself and confirmed that she had not been asked to carry anything for another person.

“She was then asked who paid for her flights and she said her friend named ‘Tex’. She said they wanted her to bring back designer clothes and watches,” Mr Eskdale said.

“The officers asked her to unlock the suitcases, but she could not provide the code to do so. She then confirmed she had been given the suitcases at the airport.”

The contents of the suitcases were later searched, and underneath Bednarska’s items were a number of vacuum sealed packages of cannabis. The total weight was 39.4 kilograms, and was said to be worth £157,600.

The court heard she had no previous convictions, and