A woman who went viral in an online video of her trying to find her missing parrot, an African grey named Chanel, has been charged over a £792,000 cannabis haul.
Sandra Hannah, 43, became a social media sensation during the first Covid lockdown in 2020 after her pet parrot flew away from home, prompting a frantic search.
Utterly OBSESSED with this Facebook video of this woman who’s lost her parrot Chanel. #FINDCHANEL 🙏🏼 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NJHdutnWoj
— James (@jamesc1995) April 23, 2020
On Friday, Merseyside police said they had charged her and Ian Hannah, 55, with the importation of cannabis and possession of criminal property.
Police said it followed a joint operation between the Sefton investigations team and the National Crime Agency, which led to the discovery of 237.6kg of cannabis resin imported from Spain, valued at approximately £792,000.
Pictures shared by the force on social media showed large tubs labelled as citronella used to disguise the substance.
Sandra Hannah’s face will be recognisable to many after she recorded herself searching nearby streets for her winged pet while crying and repeatedly bellowing her name.
In a desperate appeal to her Facebook friends to help her find the animal, she says: “My parrot has just flew away out my garden. CHANEL! Her name is Chanel, she’s gone towards the canal, please everyone please. CHANEL! My parrot is gone. She’s an African grey, her name’s Chanel.”
Read more at the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/21/chanel-parrot-owner-cannabis-importing-charges
