A reality star from Netflix, aged 27, has been apprehended for attempting to bring £150,000 worth of drugs into the UK. She was reportedly lured with an offer of £18,000 and a complimentary trip to Thailand.
Olga Bednarska was taken into custody in October at Manchester Airport after customs officials discovered two large suitcases filled with 40 kilograms of cannabis.
According to reports from The Manchester Evening News, Bednarska, who gained fame from the show Too Hot to Handle, insisted that a friend named ‘Tex’ handed her the bags.
This social media influencer, originally from Poland and currently residing in Manchester, stated that Tex had financed her flight and requested she return with high-end clothing and watches from Phuket.
In court, Bednarska was noted to have been living beyond her financial means, accruing a debt of £16,000. In an effort to eliminate this debt, she agreed to travel to Thailand under the pretense of bringing back luxury items in exchange for the large sum she was offered.
She entered a guilty plea for her involvement in the illegal importation of a class B drug.
Judge John Potter sentenced her to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years.
The court learned that Bednarska had a meeting with Tex’s associate before checking into her hotel in Thailand on October 10, where she was given the suitcases that she had been told to pack with the promised items.
In addition to the designer goods, she was instructed to include items to conceal the nature of her true cargo and was told not to engage further in the operation.
During the prosecution, Samuel Eskdale detailed how Bednarska was intercepted by Border Force on October 20, where she admitted to packing her own bags but later claimed she had received them at the airport, stating she lacked the code to open the suitcases.
Eskdale recounted: ‘She mentioned that her friend “Tex” was the one who paid for her flight and was expecting her to return with luxury items.
‘When asked to open the suitcases, she could not provide the code and reiterated that they were given to her at the airport.’
Upon opening the bags, officials found vacuum-packed cannabis concealed underneath her clothing.