A ‘fake’ delivery driver was stopped by police who found packets of what appears to be cannabis alongside piles of bank notes.
The teenager, who was pictured in an orange Just Eat jacket with a big cube-shaped orange container also branded with the company name, was arrested and taken to a police station.
Metropolitan Police officers shared a photo of him handcuffed next to an officer in a high vis jacket yesterday, saying he had been ‘nicked’ overnight.
They also shared a picture showing they found at least nine small bags of what appears to be weed, and £520 in cash.
Their @MPSSpecials account tweeted: ‘This fake take away delivery rider was nicked over night whilst riding through #shoreditch on route to drop off an order.’ [sic]
The reaction to their tweet on social media was mixed, with some praising the officers but one saying: ‘Wow. A few bags of weed that the guy sells to pay his rent in this overpriced bull***t city. Im surprise you’re not getting dragged on here for such a pathetic pointless bust.’
Others questioned their spelling, and still more took the opportunity to make a joke, saying things along the lines of: ‘Did somebody say… Just Weed’.
Police said special constables saw the 17-year-old riding a bicycle along Great Eastern Street towards Shoreditch High Street just after midnight yesterday.
They asked him to stop, but he tried to make off and was ‘immediately detained’, they said, adding that officers ‘noticed a strong smell of cannabis around him’.
He was searched and as well as the bags of ‘cannabis’ and money, police found a mobile phone ‘containing information to suggest his involvement in drug dealing’.
He was arrested for possession with intent to supply class B drugs and failing to stop for police.
Chief Inspector Chris Scammell said: ‘This was an excellent piece of police work with our volunteer officers from the special constabulary stopping this boy after their suspicions were aroused and seizing drugs and cash. It’s solid work like this that has a real impact on keeping our communities safe.
‘Enquiries have confirmed that the boy arrested does not work for a food delivery service and we believe he was using this as a front to organise drug deals.’
Following his arrest the boy was taken into custody and subsequently released under investigation while further enquiries are carried out.
A spokesperson for Just Eat confirmed that the company’s Just Eat branded delivery bags and jackets are widely available.
mtro
