Two foreign nationals who attempted to smuggle almost £200,000 worth of cannabis through Belfast International Airport have been sentenced following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
Jason Chah Kok Siong and Ho Wen Feng were arrested on 13 December 2024 after arriving on a flight from Malaga. Ground crew unloading luggage from the aircraft detected a strong smell of cannabis coming from a silver suitcase, prompting them to alert airport police and Border Force officers.
The suspicious bag was placed on the luggage carousel, where officers observed Siong and Feng collecting it before attempting to leave the airport. Both men were intercepted, and subsequent searches of their luggage uncovered 52 vacuum-sealed packages containing a total of 26.7 kilograms of cannabis.
NCA officers estimate the drugs had a potential street value of around £200,000.
A spokesperson for the agency said: “Criminal gangs behind smuggling operations like this care nothing for the couriers they exploit — their only concern is the profit they can make from dangerous drugs.”
Siong and Feng have now been sentenced for their roles in the smuggling attempt.
