A COUPLE who claimed they were on their honeymoon were caught smuggling £99,000 worth of cannabis at a UK airport.
Jeng Chow, 30, and Ley Wat, 25,were recruited as mules to carry the drugs for just £800 each in cash.
The engaged pair had travelled from their native Malaysia with 28 vacuum-packed bags of cannabis stuffed in their cases.
But they were stopped at Terminal 2 of Manchester Airport by Border Force officials.
Chow and Wat shared a hug and kiss in the dock as they were jailed for a year and three months at Manchester Crown Court.
They pleaded guilty to one count of being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.
Prosecutors said Wat was in debt when he and Chow were recruited by smugglers to bring the drugs to the UK.
The couple were provided with the cannabis and promised cash following a successful handover.
They left Malaysia on April 16 and flew via Qatar before landing at Manchester.
After they were caught with the drugs, Chow and Wat claimed they had travelled to the UK for their honeymoon.
The court heard the drugs were worth £99,000 at wholesale prices but the street value would have been “much higher”.
When she was interviewed by police, Wat told officers she believed her suitcase contained alcohol.
She also revealed she and Chow were in contact with a third party and that someone was going to pick up the drugs at the airport in exchange for money.
The couple will be deported back to Malaysia once their sentences have been carried out.
Their sentencing comes amid a spate of similar drug mule cases – with around 13 Brits currently kept in hellhole jails abroad.
Three Brits are facing the death penalty in Bali accused of trafficking more than £300,000 worth of cocaine onto the island.
A Brit couple were charged with smuggling £1million of cannabis from Thailand a mere few days ago.
While several young women have been arrested trying to smuggle cannabis from Thailand.
A “MANDATORY” update is going out to some mobiles after reports of fires breaking out when charging.
While the update is important for safety, affected users will notice a knock to their battery’s capacity as a result.
Google has confirmed to The Sun that a “subset” of Pixel 6a devices will receive it “to reduce the risk of potential battery overheating”.
It comes as a number of unverified reports online that the phone caught fire when on charge.
One user shared pictures of his destroyed Pixel 6a which they say began to “shoot out hot gas” in the middle of the night as it was on charge.
“Luckily, I was able to smother the fire, then throw the still-smoking phone into the toilet before the fire spread,” Reddit user zaliver claimed.
“My wife and I are pretty shook up about it.”
A small number of other users have reported similar issues.
“The update will enable battery management features that will reduce capacity and charging performance after the battery reaches 400 charge cycles,” Google said.
“We’ll contact impacted customers next month, with all the information they need to address the issue.”
It comes only a few months after another update impacted the batteries on the Pixel 4A, though this incident affected all models and wasn’t a result of safety concerns.
Owners were offered a free replacement battery to solve the problem.
Get the most out of your Android smartphone with these little-known hacks:
DUCK Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson’s love child filed a paternity case in court two years before his death.
Phil died at 79 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease on Sunday, May 25.
In 2020, Phil revealed he has a secret daughter named Phyllis who was conceived during an affair while married to his wife Kay.
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal Phyllis filed paternity court papers in March 2023.
The court papers explain how Phyllis was born during her mother’s marriage to her then-husband, as his name is listed as the father on her birth certificate.
“Phil Alexander Robertson is the biological father of Petitioner. Mr. Robertson and Mrs. Harvey had a sexual relationship in late 1974, early 1975, which resulted in the conception and birth of Phyllis Annette Harvey, although Mr. Robertson did not know about the pregnancy or birth.
Phyllis’ mother’s then-husband “raised the child as his own” and the true paternity was discovered when she submitted her DNA to Ancestry DNA, which indicated Phil may be her biological father.
According to the court filing, Phyllis contacted Phil and a DNA test was conducted on January 31, 2020, indicating a 99.99 percent probability that he is her biological father.
The filing read, “They have since developed and currently enjoy a close, father/daughter relationship.
“Phil invited Phyllis and her husband to move to West Monroe to live near him and their family.
“Phyllis attends church and all family functions, and celebrates all aspects of family with them. She has great love and affection for her father and for the rest of her newfound family.”
Phyllis requested for her new birth name to be Phyllis Annette Robertson and for her birth certificate to list Phil as her father.
In Phil’s Acknowledgment of Paternity filing, he wrote, “Appearer herein has developed a father/daughter relationship with Phyllis Thomas and he has welcomed her into the family.
“Appearer acknowledges the great love and affection he has for his daughter, and he desires for her to have his full name on her birth certificate as her father and for her to have her maiden name changed to Robertson.”
The court approved her request to have Phil listed on the birth certificate and to have her birth name changed.
In May 2020, Phil revealed his daughter on his Unashamed podcast.
“It’s a pretty cool explanation of redemption, reconciliation, love,” Phil said. “As it turns out, 45 years, you have a daughter that you don’t know about, and she has a father she doesn’t know about.
“Forty-five years, that doesn’t sound like very long but you say, that’s a while. So finally, after all those years, we come together.”
Phil’s son Al, who received a letter from Phyllis, said “Well once we get into that and start looking at it a little more deeply, I’m like, ‘Oh whoa, whoa, there might be something to this.’”
“I started thinking, there’s a 45-year-old woman out there who doesn’t know who her dad is, and she’s looking. And I thought, even if it’s not dad, she needs to know it’s not dad.”
When the results came back, the family, including his wife Kay, welcomed her with open arms.
Phil has been open about his affairs on Kay before he converted to Christianity in the 1970s.
The son said Kay, who shares Alan, Jase, Jules and Willie with Phil, “always wanted a daughter.”
Recalling the moment they first met, Phil said he told his daughter, “Girl, you’re the best thing that ever came out of my past.
“All I have to say it, welcome aboard.”
But Phil and Phyllis’ final years were plagued by his battle with Alzheimer’s.
The Alzheimer’s diagnosis was first revealed in December on Unashamed with the Robertson Family podcast.
Jase explained how the Alzheimer’s is “accelerated” and “causing problems with his entire body.”
He added that he’s “not doing well” and “struggling.”
He ultimately passed away just one week before the family returned to A&E with Duck Dynasty: The Revival.
Willie and Korie wrote in a joint Instagram tribute of the patriarch’s passing, “We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord.
“Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life.
“We know so many of you love him and have been impacted by his life. We’re having a private service for now, but we’ll share details soon about a public celebration of his life.”
Phil’s son Jase wrote on social media, “My dad has gone to be with the Lord today! He will be missed but we know he is in good hands, and our family is good because God is very good! We will see him again!”
Duck Dynasty: The Revival is returning to A&E and will follow Willie, Korie and their family. Go inside the Robertson family's family tree.
Patriarch Phil and matriarch Miss Kay Robertson’s children:
-Son Al, who is married to wife Lisa, and share daughters Anna and Alex
-Son Jase, who is married to Missy, and share children Reed, Cole and Mia
-Son Willie, who is married to Korie, share six kids Sadie Robertson Huff, John Luke, Rebecca, Will Jr., Bella and Rowdy
-Son Jep, who is married to Jessica, and share Lily, Merritt, Priscilla, River and Gus
Uncle Si: Phil’s brother
The popular A&E show aired for 11 seasons and ended in 2017.
Duck Dynasty: The Revival follows Willie and Korie Robertson as they plot the future of their Duck Commander company.
The show also features their children, as they help their kids tackle adulthood and take over the family dynasty.
A DRIVER has been forced to pay a $2,000 repair bill after a thief stole the gas from his vehicle.
Marco from San Diego, California, revealed to reporters that he immediately discovered a bizarre issue with his truck’s gas tank after he attempted to take his children to school.
It’s since been revealed he’s one of many residents in the same neighbourhood who have been forced to foot the bill on fixing their cars – after crooks drilled holes in the fuel tanks.
Recounting the moment he discovered the issue, Marco told Fox 5: “My computer dashboard said zero miles to empty, which is strange.”
He then looked under his truck to find drill shavings on the ground, before smelling gas and noticing the hole.
He added that the cost of replacing the damaged plastic gas tank is expected to be over $2,000 – as newer polyethylene tanks can’t be patched due to their expanding and contracting properties.
He said: “It’s infuriating and frustrating. I work in South County, my spouse works in North County, our kids go to school in the middle.
“It’s just not easy to live on one car.”
Marco also posted about the incident on the Nextdoor app after learning a neighbor had something similar happen to them.
Others soon came forward, sharing that they had also reported gas thefts on the same day, with some incidents dating back to March – all in the same area.
Lia Conrath, another resident, told reporters she hadn’t heard about the thefts until recently.
She said: “I usually park right outside of my house and we do have a big dog, so it helps keep people away.
“But I don’t know – we might put up surveillance cameras, we don’t have any at the moment.”
Marco, too, is considering installing cameras.
Despite admitting high gas prices have been a strain in recent times, he said the damage caused by the thefts is far more severe than the small amount of fuel being taken.
“It’s so little reward for so much damage,” he said, adding that around three gallons of fuel was likely taken.
San Diego police claim they have received at least two official reports so far.
Many more victims are expected though, with authorities encouraging anyone affected to contact the police.
Dwanye Saunders, the owner of Genuine Automotive & Diesel in Austin, Texas, said the common mix up isn't as dire as people think.
He told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview there are things drivers should look out for at the pumps to avoid putting the wrong fuel in your tank, and what to do if it happens.
The first thing he noted is that most gas stations make it very difficult to fill a gas-powered car with diesel. At the pumps, size does matter.
“The nozzle for the diesel pump is usually much bigger than a gasoline pump,” he said.
“So, it’s pretty hard to put diesel in a gas tank, it’s actually easier to accidentally put gasoline in a diesel engine.”
If the wrong fuel type is used, drivers will know right away, as the engine will run incredibly rough before shutting off. When that happens, it’s important to not try and start the vehicle again, as it pushes the fuel further into the system. Forcing the wrong fuel through an ill-equipped engine can cost thousands in repairs, or even merit an engine replacement.
Instead, it’s best to have your vehicle towed to a trusted mechanic, where they’ll begin repairs.
“A good mechanic would drain the fuel tank and flush the lines with fresh gasoline, maybe run some fuel system cleaner through it and it’s usually not detrimental,” said Saunders.
Read more here.
STEPHEN A. Smith confronted Riley Gaines over her trans sports feud with Simone Biles.
And the ESPN star appeared to be aligned with the college swimmer’s view on transgender athletes.
Smith, 57, welcomed Gaines, 25, onto his self-titled show Wednesday.
The former college swimmer is an activist campaigning against trans women competing in female sports.
She posted on X last week about the matter and drew an angry response from Biles.
That led to an exchange where the pair accused the other of being a “bully.”
Gaines shared a post from Minnesota State High School League which celebrated a new softball champion.
Champlin Park girl’s team won the title and their team posed for a picture.
Gaines claimed comments were turned off on the post.
And she added, “To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Smith confronted Gaines on the post during the interview Wednesday.
She said, “This case in Minnesota that you’re referring to, this was a boy who pitched five games straight in Minnesota who pitched five games straight, 35 consecutive innings, only allowed two runs of those 35 innings.
“Of those 35 innings, I think he pitched 21 shutout innings.
“They won the state championship,
“It was his team’s only ever even making the state tournament.
“Of course, they went on to win.
“He led his team in a way that I would describe as not very valiantly.”
Gaines added, “Nonetheless, to be very clear, this boy is following the rules that were in place by local leadership, state leadership.
“Of course, at the interscholastic level, but it nonetheless violated federal law, that federal law being Title IX.
“So I was quick to call this out, as I have done for years after experiencing personally the effects of competing against a man.”
Smith listened intently to Gaines’ view on transgenders and gave his own thoughts.
“Now see, I am liberal when it comes to living and let living,” Smith said.
“But when you are talking about women competing in sports against transgender women, men transitioning to women, I side with you 1,000 percent.
“I have no problem with your position whatsoever.
“I am not scared to say it, and I have never been scared to say it. I think that is absolutely the right thing to do.
“Women should be competing against women. Men should be competing against men. And transgenders should be competing against transgenders.
“I have no problem with it whatsoever. I don’t know why that’s controversial.”