Drugs mule caught with £1m cannabis haul 'stuffed in suitcases' at Cairnryan port

Daily Record

a day ago

Chace Cappellie tried to traffick the class B drug via his vehicle from a Stena Line ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan.
A drugs mule was snared with over £1m worth of cannabis stuffed in suitcases, after a routine search of his car by two Scottish port security officers.
Chace Cappellie, 33, was found with a huge stash of the class B drug in his vehicle at Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway. He had been attempting to ship the haul from Northern Ireland into Scotland via a Stena Line ferry.
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But his operation was unravelled by two port security officers who were working in connection with the Border Force, after they conducted a routine check.
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During the search, the officers found a single suitcase containing the drugs. After the discovery, a more thorough search was conducted.
This lead to the discovery of five more suitcases, containing 92 vacuum-sealed plastic bags, which gave off a strong smell of cannabis.
A further 110 bags were then found hidden within the other bags, containing a massive 108kg worth of cannabis. The total value of the seized drugs was estimated to have a street value of up to £1,085,160.
Cappellie, of Halesowen in the West Midlands, was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow after he admitted to being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug.
He was jailed for three years and two months on Friday.
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Moira Orr, who leads on major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: 'This individual failed in his attempt to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland.
'Chace Cappellie has now been held accountable thanks to an extensive Border Force operation, working with COPFS, to disrupt a network of drug supply.
'These drugs would have inflicted serious harm on communities, but with each case of this kind we are reducing that risk.
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'We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements.'
It comes after another Scottish drugs trafficker who flooded the UK with millions of pounds worth of heroin was ordered to pay back just £42,000 earlier this week.
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Christopher Heaney, from Anstruther in Fife, was jailed for nine years in February 2024 after profiting £120,000 from the £7m cross-border heroin conspiracy.
The 48-year-old, alongside four others, were busted by cops following the arrest of a bent police officer in May 2022.
Steven Creasey, an ex-police officer who had also worked for the Royal Navy, was stopped while driving his vehicle to Fife having already travelled from his home in Cardiff to Liverpool the same day.
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A drugs dog sniffed out a professionally installed hide under the passenger seat of his car, which was found to contain a 5kg stash of heroin and one kilogram of adulterant.
A burner phone also found in his possession revealed that the former cop had been operating as a professional drugs courier engaged by the heads of a gang based in Liverpool.
Their drugs were then distributed for onward supply across the UK by Heaney and three others.
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A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing was held at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday.
It heard how despite profiting around tens of thousands of pounds as part of the operation, Heaney was ordered to pay back a fraction of £42,000
Judge Lucy Crowther ordered him to pay the sum within three months.
If he fails to do so, he will face an additional 18 months in jail.