A CO Down lorry driver caught with A £1.1 million haul of cocaine and cannabis has been jailed for 18 months.
Andrew Stafford (38), formerly of Carrickmannon Road in Crossgar, had pleaded guilty to charges of possessing cocaine and herbal cannabis with intent to supply.
Belfast Crown Court heard that on February 12 2022, the PSNI’s Organised Crime Unit along with Belfast Harbour Police were conducting vehicle checkpoints at Belfast Harbour Port.
Prosecutor Gareth Purvis said Stafford was the driver of an articulated lorry towing a single trailer which contained a Peugeot Partner van.
A search of the van uncovered drugs and the defendant was arrested at the scene. A forensic analysis was conducted of the drugs and there was approximately 10kg of cocaine and 120kg of herbal cannabis. The court heard that the haul of drugs had an estimated street value of up to £1.1m.
During police interviews, Stafford admitted the offences, saying he was approached by people “who knew I needed the money”.
He told detectives he was in financial difficulties, saying his haulage business had got off to a bad start and his lorry kept breaking down.
The defendant told police he was being paid to transport the drugs.
Stafford said he “feared for his life” if he gave any details about the arrangements for transporting the drugs, adding: “You don’t mess with these boys”.
The court heard Stafford had 18 previous convictions with one entry in 2010 for possessing Class A and Class B drugs
In a pre-sentence report, Stafford told a probation officer that he accepted responsibility for his actions and that he had accrued a large debt in buying the lorry when he set up his own haulage business in 2021.
He said he was approached by “persons unknown to transport cannabis in his vehicle from England to Northern Ireland and in return he was assured his financial debts would be taken care of”.
The probation officer said Stafford expressed “remorse and regret’' for his actions.
Defence barrister Sean Doherty said Stafford suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following an incident aged 17 when he was involved in an accident in which a cyclist suffered fatal injuries.
He added that Stafford’s mental health had declined his since arrest.
Judge Sandra Crawford said the quantity of drugs involved represented a “significant aggravating factor”.
She imposed a 36 month sentence, divided equally between custody and supervised licence following his release from prison.