Jail for lorry driver over £1.1m drugs bust

A County Down lorry driver has been jailed for 18 months for being in possession of £1.1m worth of cocaine and cannabis in February 2022.

On Wednesday, 38-year-old Andrew Stafford, formerly of Carrickmannon Road in Crossgar, pleaded guilty to charges of possessing class A and B drugs with intent to supply.

Belfast Crown Court heard that Stafford was stopped and searched at Belfast Harbour on 12 February 2022, as he disembarked at the ferry terminal.

Stafford was driving an articulated lorry towing a single trailer which contained a Peugeot Partner van, inside of which the drugs were concealed.

Prosecutor Gareth Purvis said: "A forensic analysis was conducted of the drugs and there was approximately 10kg of cocaine which had a purity of 70-74 percent and 120kg of herbal cannabis.''

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, adding: "It was just meant to cover the cost of repairing the lorry as it broke down..."

Stafford said he feared for his life as 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''.

Defence barrister Sean Doherty said that while he recognised the seriousness of the offending, the defendant played a "subordinate role as a courier and his financial vulnerability made him ripe for exploitation by this criminal enterprise''.

Judge Sandra Crawford said the quantity of drugs involved represented a "significant aggravating factor'', and that "this case involves a substantial quantity of Class A drugs, namely cocaine, with a high level of purity".

"The enormously harmful effects of these drugs is well recognised," she continued.

"The significant quantities seized plainly demonstrate the commercial scale of the operation."

Police Service of Northern Ireland Det Insp Sweeney welcomed the sentencing, adding that it "should act as a deterrent for those tempted to engage in this type of destructive criminality".

"You are not only endangering your career, your relationships and your liberty, but you are assisting organised crime groups to extend their malicious influence on Northern Ireland society," he said.