A man caught with a suitcase full of cannabis and a ticket to travel to Aberdeen has been jailed.
Mahn Van Phan, of Sylvan Road in London, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply following a British Transport Police investigation.
He was stopped by plain clothes officers from BTP’s County Lines Taskforce as he strolled through Birmingham New Street station in May last year.
How was drugs courier caught?
On the morning of May 11, Phan entered the West Midlands station and purchased a rail ticket to Aberdeen with cash.
BTP then received a text report stating Phan was acting suspiciously, and plain clothes officers quickly attended the station.
They found him on one of the platforms and carried out a bag search, discovering vacuum-packed bags of cannabis in both his suitcase and rucksack.
The total weight of cannabis Phan was taking to Aberdeen was 7.4kg.
Detective Constable Mohit Behl said: “This was a particularly brazen attempt to move drugs across the UK using the rail network.
“We deploy specialist units, including plain clothes officers and drugs dogs, on the railway every day to tackle county lines activity. Anyone attempting to move commodities on the railway in this manner is extremely naïve – we will catch you and bring you to justice.
“I would like to thank rail staff at Birmingham New Street that day who reported Phan, and the courts for handing down an adequately strong jail term.”
Phan was sentenced to two years and seven months imprisonment by a judge at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, January 6.
Anyone who witnesses anything that seems suspicious on the railway can contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.
On the beat with Hamish the drug dog as he tries to sniff out dealers at Aberdeen Railway Station
Conversation