A cannabis courier from Fife was stopped by police with a 10kg cargo in a hydraulically powered hidey-hole in his Jaguar boot.
Steven Brown, 40, was travelling northbound on the M6 at around 12.30pm on October 12 when police pulled over the car, south of Kendal.
Lone occupant Brown said he had been visiting a friend in the Liverpool area for several days.
He stayed with one officer as a colleague conducted a search of the vehicle, as the driver took “a particular interest”, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
“He made comments about places in the car where items might be secreted,” said prosecutor Gerard Rogerson.
During an in-depth search of the boot, an officer realised a rear bulkhead did not have the standard appearance and located a void behind it.
“Ten large packages wrapped in green tape rolled out of the space.
“The hidey area appeared to be professionally constructed with a covering identical to the boot carpet.
“The system was operated by a hydraulic arm controlled by a wireless remote later found in a door pocket of the vehicle.”
In addition, a wireless receiver unit was recovered from a side panel within the Jaguar.
Sophisticated hidey-hole
A police drug expert concluded the potential street value of the cannabis packages could have reached £42,857.
Brown, of Warwick Close, Leuchars, made no comment in interview but later pled guilty to possessing the class B controlled drug with intent to supply.
A probation officer who interviewed Brown told the court he lived with his partner and their four children with a fifth due in April.
He had a good upbringing, left school with qualifications and later became certified to gain employment as a mechanic.
However, he had not worked for two years due to a range of illnesses and it was financial difficulty which triggering his involvement in the criminal cannabis trip.
“He knows he has besmirched his previous lack of convictions,” said the probation officer.
Suspended prison term
Judge Michael Fanning opted not to impose a short prison term, saying “chock-full” prison spaces should be reserved “for the worst offenders committing the worst offences”.
He concluded there was strong personal mitigation, a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and that the impact of immediate imprisonment on Brown’s loved ones would be significantly harmful.
A nine-month prison sentence was suspended for a year and Brown must complete a supervision requirement.
Judge Fanning noted Brown had told police at the scene: “It’s only cannabis.”
But he told the defendant: “Contrary to people’s belief, cannabis is extremely harmful.
“It rots the brain, it causes people to deteriorate in terms of the function, it affects their behaviour.
“Therefore, there are real issues in the supply of that drug in this country.”
Of the suspended sentence, the judge told Brown: “You don’t get a second shot -t is now up to you.”
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