Drugs courier caught with £11,000 of cocaine in his car boot
A DERBY drugs courier was found with more than £11,000 of highpurity cocaine and a baseball bat when police stopped his car.
Derby Crown Court heard Marvin Barrett had agreed to ship the class A substances for dealers higher up the chain after falling into debt with them. He became addicted to the drug after turning to it following the death of his partner.
Jailing the 40 year-old for two years, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: “It takes a particular kind of person, in my view, to come to court just before Christmas and accept he is going to prison.
“You have previously been involved in drugs but that was mainly dabbling in cannabis.
“This is a real step up for you and I am told it is because you started to take cocaine after the death of your partner.
“She was the sole tenant on your property, you had to move out and things went from bad to worse for you.
“I sentence you for being a courier, the amount of drugs and the purity would suggest that is the case.”
Catherine Picardo said police spotted a BMW being driven by Barrett of Sinfin, in Goodsmoor Road,
Sinfin, at 4.30pm on Valentine’s Day, 2019.
She said it had pinged the officer’s onboard automatic number plate recognition system for having no insurance.
Miss Picardo said: “Mr Barrett got out straight away and gave his details but the officer noticed a smell of cannabis and so conducted a search for drugs.
“In the boot was a baseball bat and a bag containing three bags of white powder which were analysed and were found to be 115.16g of cocaine with a purity of between 43% and 50% which is a high purity and could have been sold on the streets for as much as £11,500. £1,035 on cash was also recovered.”
Barrett, of Morlich Drive, Sinfin, answered “no comment” to the questions he was asked in interview.
He later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of cannabis and possession of an offensive weapon.
The court was told he has 21 previous convictions for 35 offences but none as serious as this.
A proceeds of crime act hearing in March will decide how much cash he is estimated to have made from his part selling drugs.
Benn Robinson, mitigating, said his client had turned to taking cocaine following his partner’s death around 12 months before the offence.
He said: “It is a sad set of circumstances but that was the catalyst. He has been in employment as a ground worker and living in a rented address but he will have to give that up due to this conviction.”