Levi Whalley, a nurse and social media influencer with approximately 40,000 Instagram followers, has retained her nursing licence after being caught attempting to smuggle a substantial quantity of cannabis into the United Kingdom.

In early 2025, Whalley and her friend Sophie Bannister were stopped by Border Force officials at Birmingham Airport while returning from New York. Authorities discovered more than 35 kilograms of cannabis hidden in their luggage, including 19 kilograms in packages packed inside Whalley’s suitcase. The drugs were valued at approximately £160,000. Both women were subsequently charged with drug smuggling.

Whalley, 32, a mother of one from Blackburn who had worked in healthcare since the age of 18, was convicted of drug smuggling at Blackburn magistrates’ court in February 2025. In April 2025, she was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to 16 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. Bannister received a 20-month suspended sentence for the same period.

Following the conviction, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) initially indicated it would seek to remove Whalley from the nursing register. However, the NMC tribunal later decided that removing her licence would be “unduly punitive” given the personal circumstances surrounding the case. The panel cited Whalley’s difficult period at the time of the offence but noted these circumstances had since improved.

In its ruling, the tribunal highlighted Whalley’s longstanding commitment to nursing and her cooperation throughout the regulatory process, as well as her expressed willingness to learn and develop following the incident. The panel concluded that her conviction did not fundamentally conflict with continuing to practice as a registered nurse.

As a result, Whalley was suspended from the nursing register for 12 months rather than being struck off. This suspension period is intended to reflect both the seriousness of the offence and her potential for rehabilitation within the profession.