Crossgar man jailed for 18 months after £1.1m cocaine and cannabis found in lorry

Crossgar man jailed for 18 months after £1.1m cocaine and cannabis found in lorry

25 September 2024

A CO Down lorry driver, who was caught with £1.1m of cocaine and cannabis at Belfast Harbour, has been jailed for 18 months.

Andrew Stafford (38), formerly of Carrickmannon Road, Crossgar, pleaded guilty to charges of possessing class A and B drugs with intent to supply.

Belfast Crown Court heard last Wednesday that Stafford was stopped at a vehicle checkpoint by the PSNI’s Organised Crime Unit along with Belfast Harbour Police on February 12, 2022, as he disembarked at the ferry terminal.

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 Peugeot van uncovered drugs and the defendant was arrested at the scene,” said Mr Purvis.

The court heard that the haul of drugs had an estimated street value of up to £1.1 million.

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.

He 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 and these boys said they would cover the cost of the repairs which was £5,000.”

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 and he was “ashamed” of getting involved in this criminal enterprise and regretted the impact his actions had had on his family, his ex-partner and their two children.

Defence barrister Sean Doherty said Stafford suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following an incident at the age of 17 when he was involved in an accident in which a cyclist suffered fatal injuries.

He said Stafford’s mental health had declined his since arrest for the drug offences.

Mr Doherty said that while he recognised the “seriousness of the offending”, Stafford 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”.

“This case involves a substantial quantity of Class A drugs, namely cocaine, with a high level of purity along with a substantial quantity of Class B drugs,” she remarked.

“The enormously harmful effects of these drugs is well recognised. The significant quantities seized plainly demonstrate the commercial scale of the operation.”

Sentencing Stafford, she told him: “I accept the prosecution’s characterisation of your role as a ‘trusted courier’ on behalf of an organised crime gang given the very large quantities of drugs entrusted into your care.”

Stating that the custody threshold had been met, Judge Crawford imposed a 36-month sentence, divided equally between custody and supervised licence following his release from prison. The court also granted a prosecution application for the destruction of all the drugs seized.

Police welcomed the sentencing, saying it “should act as a deterrent for those tempted to engage in this type of destructive criminality”.

A PNSI spokesperson said: “It may seem like a quick and easy way to make money. However, the impact on the community and on you can be catastrophic.

“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.

“Every year, organised crime groups try to smuggle illicit drugs into the country via our ports, and this is one of numerous similar interceptions as part of Operation Fusion targeting criminality of this nature.

“Through the concerted and targeted efforts of our detectives, alongside key law enforcement partners on the Organised Crime Task Force, we will continue to carry out operations to break the cycle of those who cause harm through the illegal importation and supply of drugs in Northern Ireland.”

The spokesperson added: “We remain committed to tackling the supply, use and harm caused by illegal drugs in Northern Ireland. The very simple reality is that drugs ruin lives and damage our communities.

“These criminals line their own pockets and live lavish lifestyles at the expense of others, leaving families and loved ones to deal with the inevitable devastation.