Suspected drugs worth £1m found hidden inside beds in vehicle

Police have seized suspected cannabis worth £1m hidden within divan beds in a vehicle in Belfast.

Detectives from the PSNI’s Organised Crime Unit, supported by Border Force and Belfast Harbour Police, conducted the operation in the Belfast Harbour area on Tuesday.

A vehicle was stopped and searched, which led to the drugs being recovered.

The cannabis had been vacuum packed and concealed within divan beds inside the vehicle.

A 33-year-old man has been charged with possession of a class B controlled drug and possession of a class B controlled drug with intent to supply.

He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “This search, seizure and arrest was conducted as part of our ongoing commitment to address the criminality linked to drug importation, supply and use that often results in drug debts, drug addiction and drug-related deaths within our communities.

“Through multi-agency efforts we will continue to carry out operations, to break the cycle of those who seek to cause harm through the illegal importation and supply of drugs in Northern Ireland, and to dismantle the organised criminal gangs who profit from this incredibly harmful activity.

“This type of large-scale importation is conducted by sophisticated organised crime gangs and these gangs are utterly ruthless in their exploitation of the most vulnerable in our society and they cause this misery for no other reason than personal profit.

“We cannot tackle this scourge without the help of the public. I appeal to anyone with information about illegal drug use or supply to call police on the non-emergency number 101.”