Two students living in Brighton have been jailed for importing a large amount of cannabis.
Yu Tang and Jiangpeng Wei, both 26, were sentenced by Judge Stephen Mooney at Brighton Crown Court after they admitted importing the class B drug.
The pair were arrested as part of a police operation known as Op Kindle and also pleaded guilty to having criminal property after detectives seized about £3,500 in cash.
Sussex Police said today (Friday 16 August): “Two students involved in the mass importation of cannabis into Brighton have been jailed.
“Yu Tang and Jiangpeng Wei were caught after detectives discovered they frequently collected packages not addressed to them from shared student accommodation across the city.
“When searched, the cardboard boxes were found to contain large quantities of herbal cannabis which had been double vacuum packed and concealed with other innocuous items such as T-shirts.
“Inquiries revealed they had been imported from the US and Canada and they contained recipient details linking them back to the 26-year-old defendants.
“Since the investigation commenced in September 2023, more than 40 parcels were intercepted or seized from the defendants’ addresses by officers, with the total quantity of cannabis exceeding 40kg.
“Around £3,500 in cash was also seized.
“Tang, of Fleet Street, Brighton, and Wei, of Kingscote Way, Brighton, were subsequently both arrested and charged with importing cannabis and acquiring, using or possessing criminal property.
“They pleaded guilty to the offences and, at Brighton Crown Court on Wednesday 14 August, Tang was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment.
“Wei was sentenced to one year and six weeks’ imprisonment.
“The offence of being concerned in the supply of cannabis was ordered to lie on the file for both defendants.”
The investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Leon Ryan, said: “This was a significant operation and the disruption caused to their criminal network goes well beyond the sentences.
“The number of intercepted parcels is believed to account for just a fraction of those delivered over many months.
“Furthermore, the quantities of cannabis were so far in excess of personal use that it was undoubtedly being prepared for wholesale distribution in the community.
“Tang and Wei aren’t the first students to be convicted in connection with the importation of cannabis and they likely won’t be the last.
“But I’d like to make it clear that this sort of criminality is not acceptable and we will continue to deal robustly with offenders.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to urge the public – in particular students – to think twice if they are approached with an opportunity like this.
“It is illegal and it will result in a criminal record which could affect you for the rest of your life.”
Stop locking people up for weed and make room for real criminality.
Personal consumption perhaps but these two had 40kg which is over 6 stones of the stuff.
That’s importation and dealing.
Two options: Keep spending millions investigating and prosecuting these offences – which can also include potentially harmful products. Or – Regulate production and distribution – while collecting tax on sales.
The tax argument has been debunked multiple times, dealers have to launder. Which means running though a business, which means tax gets paid. Long gone are the days where you can live of cash with no trace. Look at all the vape shops in Brighton with no customers all owned by 1 person lol if that’s not laundering I don’t know what is.
They are both 26 years old! That’s a bit old for students.
Sounds to me that this is them placing themselves within the student community for supply, and nothing to do with them actually studying anything. This is just dealing, and nothing to do with personal consumption.
These international students are master’s students, not college students.
🫡🫡🫡
All those deliveries didn’t turn up and they carried on trying? Not the sharpest tools in the box
Ex students. No University or College are going to want these two on their books.