Cannabis importers had drug sent home

A HUSBAND and wife were caught importing cannabis from Canada and the United States after their packages were intercepted by Border Force.

Christopher and Kelly Pritchard, from Bridgend, imported more than a kilo of the Class B drug worth up to £9,000 over an 18-month period before they were arrested.

Sentencing the couple at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Nicola Jones said: “You were always going to get caught at some point.”

The court heard they received packages containing cannabis on five occasions in April 2015, August 2015, August 2016, September 2016 and November 2016.

Christian Jowett, prosecuting, said all of the parcels were addressed to the pair’s home at Fairoak Chase in Brackla, apart from one, which went to a business address.

He told the court they imported 1,146g of cannabis with a value between £6,120 and £9,000.

Christopher Pritchard, 35, from Fairoak Chase, admitted five counts of importing cannabis and one count of possessing cannabis.

He was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, plus six days of a rehabilitation activity. He must pay £340 in costs and a £140 victim surcharge.

Kelly Pritchard, 37, from the same address, admitted two counts of importing cannabis and one count of possessing cannabis.

She was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 10 days of a rehabilitation activity.

She was ordered to pay £1,200 in costs – as she pleaded guilty on the day her trial was due to start – and a £140 victim surcharge.