Which of the following scenarios constitutes drug importation?

• A. Bringing cocaine into the UK in luggage
• B. Growing cannabis in the UK
• C. Possessing a small amount of heroin
• D. Importing a legal pharmaceutical without license

Answer: (A)

Importation means bringing a substance into the country from abroad, especially illegal drugs. Bringing cocaine into the UK in luggage clearly involves crossing international borders with an illegal controlled drug, which is exactly what drug importation is. The other scenarios describe activities that don’t involve importing illegal drugs: growing cannabis in the UK is production, not importation; possessing a small amount of heroin is possession within the country; and importing a legal pharmaceutical without a license raises licensing issues, not the act of importing illegal drugs. So the scenario that best fits the concept of drug importation is the one involving entering the country with cocaine.