'Brazen' man caught with suitcase full of cannabis en-route to Aberdeen jailed

A “brazen” man who was caught wheeling a suitcase packed full of cannabis on the way to Aberdeen has been jailed.

Mahn Van Phan was stopped by plain clothes officers from the British Transport Police’s (BTP) County Lines Taskforce as he strolled through Birmingham New street station in May 2022.

On the morning of May 11, 2022, 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 and located him on one of the platforms.

Following a brief conversation, his luggage was searched, and officers discovered vacuum-packed bags of cannabis in his suitcase and rucksack.

The total weight of the cannabis Phan was taking to Aberdeen was 7.4kg.

The 41-year-old, of Sylvan Road, London, pleaded guilty to possession of a Class B substance with intent to supply.

He was sentenced to two years and seven months imprisonment by a judge at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, January 6.

Detective Constable Mohit Behl, investigating officer in the case, 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.

“If you spot anything that seems suspicious as you travel on the railway, please report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.”