IN THE NEWS LIVERPOOL CABBIE AVOIDS JAIL DESPITE TRANSPORTING £50K OF COCAINE IN SHOPPING BAG
A cabbie from Toxteth, was spared jail after police found nearly £50,000 worth of high-purity cocaine hidden in a Sainsbury’s bag inside his car. Jean Nlemvo, 63, said he agreed to transport the illicit parcel from Manchester to Merseyside for a fee of just £75 due to
financial
difficulties. Despite claiming upon his arrest that he “didn’t know what cocaine was”, Nlemvo later admitted to possession of cocaine with intent to supply on the day of his trial. The court heard Nlemvo’s vehicle was initially stopped on the M62 in October 2024 over an unrelated matter. When officers searched his vehicle the next day, they found the bag under the driver’s seat.
Prosecutor Jonathan Keane explained the bag contained a 485g block of 82% pure co- caine, valued at £19,400-£48,500. Messages on Nlemvo’s iPhone revealed contact from an recipient saved as “DDD”, who text asking: “where he was” shortly after the driver was detained. Nlemvo, who has no previous convictions and was a former driver for Alpha Taxis of 11 years, accepted that he turned a blind eye to the parcel’s contents while attempting to cope with financial hardship. Defending barrister Matthew
O’Neill pointed to Nlemvo’s strong character references, including one written by a local priest, high- lighting that the defendant was a devout churchgoer and hard- working family man. At Liverpool Crown Court, Recorder Mark Shepherd gave Nlemvo a three-year jail term, suspended for 18 months, 200 hours’ unpaid work and a 12-months’ probation. The Recorder said: “It’s astonishing to me that, as a churchgoing, family man, you would involve yourself in organised crime for £75. You came very, very close indeed.” He added that Nlemvo’s lack of prior convictions and low risk to society justified a suspended sentence.
NOTTINGHAM CABBIE DRIVES SUSPECT WITH COUNTERFEIT CASH STRAIGHT TO POLICE STATION
A quick-thinking cabbie who was handed fake bank notes drove his passenger straight to a police station. The customer booked the journey at 11:30pm on 13 October but after he repeatedly changed his route, the driver asked how he intended to pay. This prompted the man to hand over a counterfeit £20 note. The driver immediately recognised the note was fake due to the way it felt in his hands. When questioned, the passenger handed over further notes which were also fake. The driver immediately rerouted to Radford Road police station in Nottingham, where officers arrested the passenger and consequently conducted a search
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of the 23-year-old suspect’s home, where they
seized a cannabis
cultivation kit and a Rambo knife hidden beneath a mattress. The man was arrested on suspicion of using counterfeit currency and possessing an offensive weapon in a private place. Neighbourhood inspector Liz Gaskin praised the driver’s actions, calling it a fantastic piece of work. She noted that as soon as the driver spotted the man’s suspicious behaviour and fake money, he decided the end of his journey would be a night in custody, adding that officers were happy to help and were able to take a dangerous weapon out of circulation as a result.
Official guidance from the Bank of England highlights that genuine English banknotes feature a transparent window displaying a portrait of King Charles III or the late Queen Elizabeth II, alongside the note’s value and the words Bank of England around the border. Genuine notes also feature raised print and a silver hologram that changes between the word Pounds and the note’s value when tilted. Because counterfeit notes are worthless and cannot be reimbursed, anyone who receives fake cash is urged to contact the police immediately so the notes can be passed to the National Crime Agency and Bank of England for examination.
NOVEMBER 2026 PHTM
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