A taxi driver who was found with a haul of heroin in his car boot worth more than £4 MILLION has been jailed
Barry Smith, 44, was pulled over by traffic officers on the M6 motorway who discovered the large stash of class A drugs in the back of his cab.
Traffic cops had tracked his Skoda Octavia on the M6 northbound between junctions 13 and 14 at Stafford when they stopped him at 1.20pm on September 4 last year.
A court heard Central Motorways Policing Group (CMPG) officers asked if he had anything illegal in the car, to which he replied “No”
His car was searched and officers found two large sports bags inside the boot containing square light-brown packs weighing 40.5kg and 15 to 20cm thick.
A total of £5,600 in cash was also found next to the spare wheel and he was charged with possession of heroin with intent to supply heroin
Smith, of Halewood, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to the charge at an earlier hearing and was jailed for four years and eight months at Stafford Crown Court on Monday (12/2).
Detective Constable Neil Johnson, of Staffordshire Police, said after the case: “This is a warning to those who think they can prey on the vulnerable in our communities.
“Smith was followed and stopped by our officers. He thought he could get away with moving a huge amount of heroin but he now has to reflect on that in prison.”
By Mark Cardwell