Man jailed for storing drugs
STASH KEPT IN GOLF BAG
Court Reporter A BUSINESSMAN who stored £60,000 worth of drugs in a golf bag in his shed has been jailed.
Paul Carl agreed to warehouse the amphetamine and cocaine after running up drug debts and being beaten up by dealers, a court was told.
He had become embroiled in the “murky world of drugs” when his utility company got into difficulties and he couldn’t pay what he owed for narcotics.
When police raided the 34-yearold’s home they found 5.83kg of amphetamine and 43.8g of cocaine.
Now Carl, of Stockley Road, Barmston, Washington, who admitted possessing the drugs with intent, has been locked up for two years and eight months at Newcastle Crown Court.
Mr Recorder Wheeler told him: “I accept there might have been some coercion, though it cannot be supported by independent evidence.
“You were purely motivated by financial desire to get yourself out of debt.
“You had a significant amount of awareness and understanding of what you were doing and why you were doing it.” Police swooped in February 2016 and officers found amphetamine, worth £60,000 on the streets, stashed in the shed and the cocaine, worth around £2,000, in a box in the loft. Andrew Rutter, defending, said Carl had been offered cocaine as a “solace” after his business failed. Mr Recorder Wheeler Mr Rutter added: “He began to mix in various circles.
“As is often the case, he accrued debt.
“This was his first experience of the murky world of drugs.”
The court heard Carl, who is from a “decent family”, was beaten up in a park when dealers discovered he could not pay and was given the option to “work off” what he owed. Mr Rutter said, in the two years that has passed since the offences, he has “returned to his former life” and is back working in the utilities trade.
Prosecutors have started an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act which means any assets Carl has could be seized.