Hundreds of thousands of pounds found in ‘sophisticated hide’ after Belfast Harbour ferry search
Cash seized by police in a vehicle arriving at Belfast Harbour
Thursday 24 September 2026
A 36-year-old man has been arrested after police discovered cash estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds concealed inside a “sophisticated hide” in a vehicle arriving at Belfast Harbour.
The discovery was made during an operation involving detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Organised Crime Unit, Belfast Harbour Police and the National Crime Agency (NCA) on Thursday morning.
Cash discovered after overnight ferry arrival
Police said the vehicle had been coming off an overnight ferry when it was stopped and searched in the Belfast Harbour area.
During the search, officers located what the PSNI described as a large sum of cash, estimated at hundreds of thousands of pounds, hidden inside the vehicle.
The 36-year-old driver was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession of criminal property. He was taken to Musgrave Police Station for questioning and remained in custody on Thursday as enquiries continued.
Vehicle and phone also seized
Police have also seized the vehicle itself, a mobile phone and other items for further examination alongside the cash.
Detective Inspector Conor Sweeney said the operation formed part of continuing efforts to tackle criminality linked to organised criminal groups.
“This amount of purchasing power in the hands of an organised criminal group represented a real potential for harm.
“By working with our partners, we were able to seize the cash on this occasion and deprive this particular group of that purchasing power.
“We remain committed to detecting and preventing the smuggling of illegal commodities, be it drugs, cash, stolen goods or any other illicit item, into and through Northern Ireland.”
Police appeal for information
Detective Inspector Sweeney said police rely on information from the public to help identify and disrupt this type of activity.
“We rely on the help of the community to do so and I would appeal to anyone with any information about this type of activity to contact police on the non-emergency number 101.”
Information can also be submitted to police through the PSNI’s non-emergency reporting form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals
Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/
The investigation remains ongoing, with police examining the seized cash, vehicle, phone and other items as they seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the money and its intended destination.
