Criminal cash courier leaves £10,000 in bag on Glasgow train

A cash courier for a criminal gang has been jailed after he accidentally left a bag containing £10,000 onboard a Glasgow train.

Weijie Shi, 25, left the bag of money behind after alighting the Glasgow to Manchester service at Carlisle train station on November 20 last year, a court heard.

Passengers tried to attract his attention after spotting the unattended bag and phone which he had left on board.

After the train pulled away, Shi told a staff member he’d been separated from his belongings. He then boarded a train back to Glasgow.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that the bag that he had mislaid was found by staff onboard the train.

When a conductor opened it to check for something that may identify the owner, he found that the bag was crammed full of cash.

British Transport Police later confirmed that the there was a total of £10,000 inside.

Shi, of no fixed address, was traced from CCTV footage and initially gave a fake name which matched a false passport in his possession.

He later admitted charges of having an identification document with improper intention, and possessing criminal property.

Judge Nicholas Barker said Shi was clearly a “courier’ moving cash linked to crime.

However, there was no indication of who the defendant was working for and it was not revealed how the money was raised.

The court heard Shi was in the UK illegally and had not lodged an asylum claim because he was awaiting the outcome of his case.

Imposing an immediate jail term of 11-months, the judge said: “You are not of settled status.

“You have no previous convictions recorded against you in this country.

“Those who possess false identity documents in this country can expect a custodial sentence.”

As Shi had already spent six months in custody while waiting for his case to come to court, Judge Barker told him: “It seems likely from what I have been told that your release will either be today or very soon.”