£1.2M OF CANNABIS IN HORSE BOX HAY

Dealer jailed after bales fall onto road

A DRUG dealer caught when hay bales packed with more than £1.2million worth of cannabis fell from a horse box has been jailed.

Nathan Greene, from Drumaknockan Lane in Hillsborough, was handed a nine month sentence yesterday after pleading guilty to possession of a Class B controlled drug with intent to supply.

The 34-year-old was told at Downpatrick Crown Court that he must also serve nine months on licence.

Police arrested Greene in follow-up searches after the bales came loose from the horse box as it was towed along the M1 near Belfast in 2020.

Detectives from the PSNI’S Organised Crime Unit said the sentence sends a “clear message” to others thinking of getting involved in drug dealing. The investigation was sparked when the insecure load of hay bales fell from a horse box being driven near to the Blacks Road junction.

Detective Inspector Shaw said: “The horse box shed its load on the morning of October 3, 2020.

“It’s believed the driver – Nathan

Greene – temporarily stopped to secure some bales before promptly leaving the scene.

“Cannabis with an estimated street value of approximately £1.24million was found hidden inside the bales that had fallen.

“Detectives from our Organised Crime

Unit searched a number of properties in Co Down and subsequently arrested the defendant.

“Through Operation Dealbreaker, and with the support of partner organisations, we are committed to tackling the supply, use and harm caused by illegal drugs.

“Drug dealers don’t care about individuals and communities or the lives and relationships that get destroyed along the way. Their interest is purely with lining their own pockets.

“I hope that today’s sentencing sends out a clear message to those who think they can profit at the expense of others.”

HAUL Some of the drugs