British woman whose missing parrot video went viral charged over $1.3m cannabis haul
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Sandra Hannah became a social media sensation during Britain’s first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM CHANELS MA/TWITTER
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A woman in the UK who went viral in an online video about her missing parrot has been charged over a cannabis haul worth £792,000 (S$1.3 million).
On Friday, police in Merseyside, north-west England, said they had charged Sandra Hannah, 43, and Ian Hannah, 55, for importing cannabis and the “possession of criminal property”.
The authorities said they found 237.6kg of cannabis resin imported from Spain, according to reports in British media.
The discovery came after a joint operation, police said.
The couple have since been remanded in custody.
Sandra became a social media sensation during the UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
That is when her African grey parrot named Chanel flew away.
The bird’s flight prompted a frantic search, and Sandra recorded herself searching for her pet while yelling out Chanel’s name.
“Her name is Chanel, she’s gone towards the canal, please everyone please,” Sandra says in her appeal for help, before bellowing the parrot’s name.
The video was an overnight hit, and Sandra was invited to television network ITV’s breakfast show, This Morning.
During the interview, she said Chanel was found about 1.6km away from home three days after she went missing.
Chanel took flight again in 2021, and Sandra was once more featured on the breakfast show.
But this time, the 43-year-old ruffled viewers’ feathers.
She revealed that her parrot had been successfully tracked down.
But she also declared she planned to clip Chanel’s wings to prevent her from escaping again.
When asked if that would be a safe thing to do, Sandra said yes, and that she would probably have to do it again because Chanel’s wings would grow back.
