£160k cannabis-in-suitcase man jailed

Jian-Hong Chen told officers he did not know the code to open the suitcase, despite claiming his clothes were inside it

A man who appeared to be "confused and lost" at a railway station has been jailed after he was found to have cannabis with a street value of £160,000 in his suitcase.

Jian-Hong Chen, of no fixed address, came to the notice of undercover police officers at Crewe station, during an investigation into county lines drug dealing.

Chen told them he was going to Edinburgh and claimed not to know the code to the suitcase, despite saying it contained his clothes, Chester Crown Court heard.

British Transport Police said the 37-year-old admitted possession with intent to supply a class B drug, and was sentenced to a year in prison.

Chen was sentenced on 27 March after being stopped and searched on 28 February.

The vacuum-packed cannabis packages were found in a large laundry bag inside his suitcase.

“Our county lines taskforce operates everywhere and anywhere on the rail network," said Det Con Karen Jennings.

"Many of these patrols are covert, enabling our highly-skilled officers to observe and approach anyone acting in a suspicious manner."