Netflix reality star Olga Bednarska spared jail after smuggling £150k worth of drugs in to the UK from Thailand

27-year-old Olga Bednarska, who appeared on season three of Too Hot To Handle, she was found to have nearly 40kg of cannabis concealed within her suitcases after she was stopped by officials at Manchester Airport last month after coming to the UK from Thailand

She initially claimed she was asked by a friend called 'Tex' to bring designer clothes and watches back from Thailand and insisted that she had packed her suitcases herself, but she then admitted to being given them at the airport.

Bednarska, who is originally from Poland but now lives in the UK, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug and was given a suspended sentence in court.

Samuel Eskdale, prosecuting, said that Bednarska arrived at Manchester Airport from Phuket on Sunday October 20, with two large suitcases. She was questioned by Border Force officials, and told them she had packed the suitcases herself and 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, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.

"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 the reality star had no previous convictions, and had been in custody since her arrest in October. Judge John Potter indicated to the court that he would pass a suspended sentence of imprisonment after hearing that she had been trying to pay off her debts, and so no mitigation was advanced on Bednarska's behalf.

Judge Potter said: "I am not going to send you to prison - that will mean you will be released from custody. Over the course of the last few years, you have found yourself in financial difficulties.

As Bednarska wept, she went on: “You have incurred debts to do with work, rent and other household costs. You have simply lived beyond your means."

He said that Bednarska owed up to £16,000 in debts and so resorted to “desperate but highly unlawful means” to pay the money off. As a result, she had lost her “impeccable” good character, he said.

Explaining the situation, he said: "Via a friend of a friend, you agreed to import designer goods from Thailand. You agreed to go and do this and return 10 days later. Your expenses were to be paid by others, and you were to be paid £18,000.”

He added that she flew to Thailand on Thursday October 10 and was met by an “associate” before checking into a hotel “free of charge”. She was then given “spending money” and was given a suitcase for the items to go into.

She was asked for items to “cover up” the goods with, and it was then she should have had nothing further to do with it, the judge said. He went on, however: "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, from, Newcastle, was handed 20 months imprisonment which was suspended for two years. She must also complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.