A tenacious taxi driver sniffed out a pair of drug dealers who hired his cab to transport four kilos of cannabis to their local post office 300 yards away.
Uber cabbie Grant Miller followed his nose when he noticed a distinctive aroma coming from his boot after picking up Lin Wang and Ming Xin Wu.
The pair had packed a box with the drug and were seeking to post it from Newcastle to an address in Belfast, Chronicle Live reports .
But while they were arranging the delivery, Grant flagged down a passing police officer and raised the alarm.
Wang and Wu were jailed for a total of 13 months at Newcastle Crown Court, and Grant says he is "chuffed to bits" the dealers are off the streets.
“I’m over the moon they have been jailed," said Grant, 46.
"I’m anti- drugs . I’ve seen enough of it on the streets of Newcastle and I’m chuffed to bits they got jailed.”
Firefighters discover industrial cannabis farm in quiet, suburban home after smoke was spotted billowing from roof
Grant described the journey in Gateshead on November 11 last year as "strange" and said that he learnt how to spot people smuggling drugs at his previous job as a doorman.
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CAMBRIDGE
Councillors are considering limiting the number of Hackney Carriages in the city - despite concerns it might encourage worse pollution from an influx of private hire vehicles.
Today (March 20), councillors on Cambridge City Council’s Licensing Committee unanimously agreed to survey demand for Hackney Carriages in Cambridge with a view do deciding whether their numbers need to be limited.
As part of the survey, cameras could be set up to gauge the numbers of people at taxi ranks and to observe the demand from queuing customers.
But some expressed concerns, saying that if Hackney Carriage numbers were limited, the demand would be taken up by private hire vehicles and Uber cars, which were harder for the city council to regulate.
This could lead to worse pollution and fewer vehicles with disabled access.
Cllr Ann Sinnott said: “I think one of the things about measuring excess need or unmet needs is the number of private hires. We have quite a number of Hackney Carriages in the city that meet ‘X’ demand, and we have no control over private hires.
“If they did not believe they could not get sufficient business in the city, they would not come in. It is the private hires that annoy so many people because they park on the streets and keep their engines running.
Environmental Health Manager, Yvonne O’Donnell, said it was important to wait until the results of the survey were in before commenting on any impact measures might have on private hire cars.
She also said cameras will be put up for two to three weeks to keep an eye on demand at taxi ranks in the city to gather information for the survey.
Cllr Martin Smart said having too many Hackney Carriages in the city was an environmental issue as the fumes from diesel engines impacted on air quality.
Cllr Smart said any survey that did not include data on private cabs or Uber vehicles would risk producing a skewed picture of demand in Cambridge.
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APCC Chair calls for safeguarding action in the issuing of taxi licences
In order to enhance protection for children and vulnerable adults, the APCC is calling on the Government to consult on and introduce new statutory guidance relating to how public authorities exercise their licensing functions on taxi and private vehicle hire legislation at the earliest possible opportunity. In addition, the APCC is recommending that the Government look again at introducing a national database to allow local authorities to undertake appropriate checks when applications are received.
APCC Chair Dame Vera Baird QC said:
“This is an area of considerable concern for Police and Crime Commissioners who recognise that there are a number of safeguarding issues that exist in the way in which private hire or hackney carriage drivers are currently assessed for a licence. The lack of consistency means that when local authorities make their assessments over whether the applicant is a “fit and proper person” different criteria is used when it comes to, for example, previous convictions. As a result, taxi driver applications can be refused a licence by one local authority only to be granted one by another.
“In order to protect children and vulnerable adults, the Government needs to consult on new statutory guidance relating to licensing functions under taxi and PHV legislation at the earliest possible opportunity.
“In addition, the Government should look again at proposals to introduce a national database, similar to the Disclosure and Barring Service, of all licence applicants, using a national framework and the reasons for any refusal to be included. This would help to ensure that local authorities have more of the information they need to help safeguard the public when processing applications.
“PCCs have urged action on this previously and the APCC will make further representations to Government.”
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NEW YORK UBERK THIEF CAUGHT BECAUSE HE STILL HAD HIS PRISON RELEASE TAG ON
TRUMBULL — Police have charged a Uber driver with larceny after he allegedly held onto to a passenger’s debit card and later used it to make purchases.
Antwon McCray, 33, convinced the woman that he’d returned her debit card after she used it to pay for her transportation, Lt. Keith Golding said.
McCray is a convicted felon on parole from New York, the Trumbull police spokesman said, and was wearing a GPS monitoring unit on his ankle at the time of the incident.
The suspect used the victim’s debit card to make purchases at businesses in Fairfield, Norwalk and Darien, police said.
“After learning of a warrant for his arrest, McCray turned himself in to authorities in Albany, N.Y.,’’ Golding wrote in a press release. “He was subsequently extradited back to Trumbull on Thursday where he will face several larceny and criminal impersonation charges,’’ Golding said.
He is currently being held on $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 9.
McCray has a lengthy criminal history which includes several felony and misdemeanor convictions, the Trumbull police spokesman said.
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