Couple caught with 1kg of drugs on way to South Wales

A COUPLE were caught red-handed driving 1kg of cocaine from Liverpool to South Wales, a court has heard.

The couriers were arrested after police performed a tactical stop on their car on the A449. In the footwell of the vehicle was a stash of the Class A drug with a wholesale value of around £40,000 – and a street value of many times that.

Cardiff Crown Court heard on December 9 last year officers, acting on intelligence, stopped a Ford car on the A449 near Abergavenny.

Peter Donnison, prosecuting, said police boxed the vehicle in and brought it to a stop. At the wheel of the car was 34-year-old Corey Casagrande and alongside him in the passenger seat was his partner 27-year-old Jemma Connor.

In the front passenger footwell of the couple’s car was a package containing 1kg of cocaine and in the centre console police found £900 in cash. The court heard the wholesale value of the consignment was around £40,000 but if broken down into street deals and sold on it would be worth “vastly more”.

The defendants, both of Partridge Way, Duffryn, Newport, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply when they appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Connor has no previous convictions while Casagrande has previous convictions including for offences of attempted robbery and non-dwelling burglary.

Giving Casagrande a one-third discount for his guilty plea, judge Daniel Williams sentenced him to two years and eight months in prison. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence.

Connor was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, with 250 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation course.