A MAN has been sentenced at Belfast Crown Court today over the seizure of more than £2m worth of cannabis in Belfast in 2018.
Chang Mang Wang, 52, was sentenced to two years and three months for possession of Class B controlled drugs with intent to supply and for conspiracy to supply Class B controlled drugs.
He was also sentenced to two years for failing to observe Immigration Act restrictions.
Wang's sentence will be split between custody and licence.
"Today's sentencing should act as a deterrent for those tempted to engage in this type of destructive criminality," said Detective Inspector Kelly of the PSNI.
"It may seem like a quick and easy way to make money, however, the impact on the community and on you can be catastrophic."
Unloading boot
On Thursday, November 29, 2018, police observed Wang and another man unloading bags from the boot of a car into a premises in the Wellesley Avenue area Belfast.
The pair were stopped and searched during the proactive policing operation, with the bags found to contain cannabis.
A search was conducted of the house in the area and further drugs were found in a room.
In total, Class B drugs with a potential street value of £1.7m were located, with around £400,000 worth of Class B controlled drugs seized in a follow-up search in the east of the city.
Three people had been previously sentenced in relation to this investigation.
'Violence and intimidation'
"This type of criminality has all the hallmarks of an organised criminal gang," added DI Kelly.
"I have no doubt these drugs would have ended up in the hands of local gangs, who are only seeking to line their own pockets and live a luxurious lifestyle at the cost of the community they live within.
"Drug dealers don't care about their communities and they use violence and intimidation to maintain their control.
"Money gained from cannabis can be used by organised crime gangs to fund other criminality they are involved in."
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