An Englishman caught bringing a £200,000 haul of cannabis into Northern Ireland concealed in the boot of his car has been jailed for nine months.
Jamie Fletcher (34), of Montgomery House, Manchester, had previously pleaded guilty to possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply.
Belfast Crown Court heard that Harbour Police were carrying out an operation at Belfast Port in partnership with HMRC in November 22 and checking vehicles leaving the Stena Line terminal.
At around 2.20 am, a black Vauxhall Corsa was stopped and a search was carried out of the vehicle. Inside officers found two sealed clear plastic bags on either side of the boot which appeared to be dried herbal cannabis.
The defendant was arrested and made no reply after caution. A forensic examination of the bags confirmed they contained herbal cannabis with a total weight of 10kg.
At the time of the seizure police said the drugs had a potential street value of up to £200,000.
During police interviews, Fletcher admitted bringing the drugs into Northern Ireland. He said he had been offered the “job” by a friend for payment as he had amassed legitimate debts of £20,000.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Gordon Kerry KC said Fletcher was a single man with no dependents, had previously worked and had no mental health issues.
In submissions by his defence, it was stated that Fletcher was “acting as a courier under the directions of others”.
Judge Kerr imposed an 18-month sentence, divided equally between custody and probation.