Lorry driver caught with 17kg of cannabis at Newcastle Airport, avoids jail

Barry Hunt, 59, was stopped at Newcastle International Airport after returning from Thailand with 17kg of cannabis hidden in his suitcase. He received a suspended sentence.

Doncaster lorry driver intercepted at Newcastle Airport with 17kg of cannabis

A 59-year-old lorry driver from Doncaster was stopped at Newcastle International Airport carrying 17kg of cannabis concealed in his suitcase after returning from a holiday in Thailand, Daily Express reports.

Barry Hunt, of Skellow Road, Carcroft, was intercepted by an immigration officer at around 10pm on 11 June as he passed through customs. He had travelled via Paris and checked in a single suitcase. When questioned about the bag, Hunt told officials he had packed it himself, was fully aware of its contents, and was not carrying it on behalf of anyone else.

Prosecutors at Newcastle Crown Court heard that when the suitcase was searched, officers found 17kg of cannabis inside. Hunt was detained and later questioned by the National Crime Agency, during which his account changed several times.

Freddie Adams, prosecuting, told the court: "He was asked about the bag and he said he was fully aware of the contents. He said he was not carrying it for anyone else and had packed the bag himself. The bag was searched and 17kg of cannabis was found inside."

Hunt subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of importing controlled drugs. Despite his initial claim that he had packed the bag himself, he later maintained he had been handed the suitcase by unidentified individuals in Thailand shortly before his departure.

Defence solicitor Lorraine Mustard told the court that Hunt had not been on holiday for some time and had been given the opportunity to stay at a villa. She explained that other guests at the property only made themselves known to him shortly before he was due to leave, at which point they removed his suitcase and replaced it with another one.

Ms Mustard said: "He went on holiday. He hadn't been on holiday for sometime and he was given the opportunity to use this villa and it appears there were other rooms in the villa used by various people. Those people only made themselves known to the defendant shortly before his departure. They removed his suitcase and provided him with another one."

Hunt, who has no previous convictions, was handed a 12-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, alongside 300 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Stephen Earl, sentencing, told Hunt: "You're a very foolish man for a number of reasons that I can think of but, perhaps, you have already been there before me. A long distance lorry driver is usually not a stupid man."

Source: Daily Express