Woman Who Went Viral Over Missing Parrot Chanel Charged Over £800K for Cannabis Possession

The woman who went viral for losing her pet parrot during the pandemic has now been charged with over £800,000 for cannabis possession. The 43-year-old woman named Sandra Hannah was a social media sensation in the year 2020. Hannah's TikTok came to everyone's attention because of the way she was asking for help ever so often. She documented herself screaming and crying while looking for her African Grey parrot named Chanel. The viral TikToks gave her the glory she might have been looking for, and Hannah was even invited to ITV's Good Morning with Phillip and Holly to recount her story.

Unfortunately for the social media sensation, the attention wasn't all positive. On 21 April, Merseyside Police charged Sandra Hannah and 55-year-old Ian Hannah for importing cannabis and possessing criminal property, as per the Daily Star. 

The charge comes after a two-day-long joint operation between Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency. The police and the Agency officers found 237.6 kilograms of cannabis resin which were imported directly from Spain. According to the authorities, the imported cannabis is valued at £792,000 approximately. Both the alleged culprits Sandra and Ian were taken into police custody and appeared before the Magistrates' Court for their offenses.  

As per the Guardian, a social media post by the Sefton police announced: "Over the past two days there has been a joint operation between Operation Pelican, Sefton investigations team, and the National Crime Agency which has resulted in two adults being charged with the importation of 237.6 kg of Cannabis Resin from Spain. This has been valued at approximately £792,000. Ian Hannah, 55, and Sandra Hannah, 43, of Cumberland Gate, Netherton have both been charged with the importation of cannabis and possession of criminal property. Hannah and Hannah have been remanded and will appear before Magistrates' Court this morning."

Sandra Hannah can be recognized from the various interviews after she lost and found her African grey parrot during the pandemic. People all over Europe were constantly rooting for the woman as she recorded herself while looking for Chanel. In an old Facebook post, she desperately appealed to her Facebook friends to find the African Grey parrot.

“My parrot has just flew away out my garden," Hannah is seen shouting in the video, "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.” Chanel, whose full name is Chanel Chanellington, was later found. Hannah thanked everyone who helped find her parrot in another video, saying: "If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have found her."

The Liverpool resident was able to find her pet bird after three days of constant crying and searching. According to The US Sun, Hannah shared her joy with ITV hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford and revealed the fate of the parrot on The Morning Show. The middle-aged woman decided to get Chanel's wing clipped, which might have seemed cruel but was an act of kindness from the owner. Speaking from her home in Liverpool she told the presenters: "She's getting her wings clipped, she won't be able to fly at all. It's her own fault." Both Langsford and Eamonn were left shocked by her confession. A concerned Langsford, 61, asked: "Is that safe?" to which Hannah replied: "Oh yes they grow back, so we might have to do it again!"

Hannah posted a TikTok as she danced on the top of her black Porsche, three days prior to getting charged with cannabis importation and criminal possession. She filmed herself waving her arms in the air as she blasted out The Saturdays' hit song What About Us.