AN AUDACIOUS Belfast criminal contacted a Northern Ireland taxi firm to ask if they would return a bag of cocaine he left in the back of one of their cabs.
This brazen attempt at reclaiming the drugs was recounted by Park Taxis boss John McAlea to Belfast Live along with a warning that cab-based "drug runs" are becoming a serious concern in the Northern Irish capital.
"The bag of coke was dropped in the car and the driver went and picked up another passenger," he said.
"And while he was in the car, the person had rang the depot saying that he'd dropped something in the car and asking if the driver could bring it back to him.
"So the desk rang the driver and asked, and the pensioner, a woman in the back of the car, said: "All there is is this" - she didn't even know what it was."
According to McAlea, people are increasingly using cabs to transport drugs illegally.
In the event that they come to a checkpoint or stop of any kind, they are able to drop the narcotics on the floor and plead their innocence, claiming it must have been the previous passenger.
In the instance recounted above, the drugs were flushed down the toilet, rather than handed over to the man.
Cab companies like Park Taxis are already wising up to the issue too.
If someone asks to be taken to a certain place and brought immediately back to their original pick-up point, their information is taken, and they are blacklisted from using the cab service again.
Unfortunately, this might not be enough to combat the wider issue, with drug dealers and users always on the lookout for new ways to transport drugs.
The incident comes as the Irish government continues to hold a public consultation on the possession of illegal drugs for personal use.
Addiction specialist Dr Garrett McGovren has already urged the government to follow the example of Portugal by decriminalising use.
Northern Ireland, however, would remain subject to UK laws, where decriminalisation appears a less likely scenario under Prime Minister Theresa May.
