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Tenacious taxi driver Grant Miller relied on his hooter to sniff out a pair of drug dealers who hired his cab to transport four kilos of cannabis to their local post office.

Uber cabbie Grant 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 to an address in Belfast.

But while they were arranging the delivery, Grant flagged down a passing police officer and raised the alarm.

Now the pair have been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for possessing cannabis with intent to supply and courageous Grant says he is “chuffed to bits” the dealers are off the streets.

“I could smell it a mile off,” said Grant, 46. “I was a doorman before I became a taxi driver so I know what cannabis smells like. I always lift bags and packages in to the boot of the car as part of my service, but he didn’t want to pass the box to me. He didn’t want me to touch it and he wanted to put it in the boot himself.

(Image: PA)

“When the pair got into the car I could smell cannabis and I told them, but he said it was his deodorant. I’m not daft, I knew it was the smell of cannabis.”

Grant, of Denton Burn, Newcastle, added: “I noticed the box had loads of stamps on it so I thought he was using the Royal Mail to post drugs elsewhere.

“The whole journey was strange as I picked them up and only drove them about 300 yards before dropping them off near the post office. I though why would you hire a taxi to take you 300 yards?

“When I was driving them I passed a police car parked up on the side of the road, so when they went in to the post office I drove back around and told the police. I said I am 95% sure that they were posting cannabis, I just knew it.”

It was just before 2.30pm on November 11 last year that Wang and Wu got in Grant’s taxi at Kendal Crescent, Gateshead.

They asked to be taken to a post office on Beacon Lough estate after putting a case and box in the boot.

Grant added: “I’m over the moon they have been jailed. I’m anti drugs, I’ve seen enough of it on the streets of Newcastle and I’m chuffed to bits they got jailed.”

(Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said: “The taxi driver became aware of a strong smell of cannabis.

“The driver asked both defendants what the smell was and which one of them had marijuana on them.

“He was informed the smell was deodorant.

“After dropping them off the taxi driver notified a passing police officer.

“In the intervening period the defendants entered the post office and attempted to post the parcel to an address in Belfast.

“It was to be posted special delivery and had a return address in the Newcastle area.

“The parcel contained four kilos of cannabis.”

Wang and Wu were arrested and Wang said she had been asked to come to Newcastle from London to post a package and would be paid £50.

Mr Wardlaw said: “The Crown take the view the account put forward is improbable but don’t seek a trial of issue.

“The Crown say she played a significant role and was motivated by financial or other advantage.”

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Wang, 25, of no fixed address, was jailed for seven months while Wu, 33, of no fixed address, who was sentenced at a previous hearing, got six months.

The court heard Wang had been illegally trafficked to the UK ten years ago and would be deported after serving her sentence.

Jacqueline Coxon, defending, said: “Miss Wang has had some difficult years here in the UK as a result of being trafficked here and having suffered domestic violence

“At the time of this offence she was a member of the community in London, she was working and she accepts she naively took an opportunity to travel to Newcastle.

“When she became aware what she was being asked to do she accepts she did not retreat from her behaviour and continued with her task of posting the cannabis parcel.”