Man caught with cannabis valued at £34,000

A man who claimed to have got lost near Sleaford was caught with cannabis valued at over £34,000 when police stopped a car.

Erido Costea, 29, was a passenger in a Jaguar XF car which was eventually pulled over on the A153 near Ruskington in March 2020.

Lincoln Crown Court heard officers decided to search the vehicle after becoming aware of a strong smell of cannabis.

Lucia Harrington, prosecuting, said cannabis weighing 3.4 kilos was recovered from two packages in the boot of the car.

Officers also found over £23,000 in cash on the rear seat and a further £300 in the driver's console.

A drugs expert estimated the value of the cannabis, if sold in bulk, at just over £19,000.

The expert said the value of the cannabis would rise to over £34,000 if it was sold in single gram street deals.

After his arrest Costea gave the police a prepared statement in which he denied having any knowledge of the drugs.

Costea stated he had gone for a drive with the other man in the car after the driver fell out with his girlfriend.

The pair said they had set off from Sheffield and found themselves in south Lincolnshire after getting lost.

Costea, of no fixed address, was due to stand trial at Lincoln Crown Court but entered a guilty plea to a charge of possessing cannabis with intent to supply others on March 28, 2020.

The court heard Costea was acting as a "trusted courier" for the drugs and there was no evidence of selling cannabis on the phones seized from the two men.

Damian Sabino, mitigating, said Costea was not involved in the sale of the drugs only the movement of them.

"It was a limited role through some naivety and for no reward," Mr Sabino argued.

Mr Sabino told the court Costea was also recovering from a serious road accident and was in the process of moving address.

Passing sentence Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight said: "You were trusted couriers, but couriers none the less."

But Judge Sjolin Knight told Costea a considerable period of time had passed since his offending and said she was willing to give him a chance to stay out of jail.

Costea was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

He must also complete 50 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Judge Sjolin Knight added: "It is being suspended because you are not the same person who was in that Jaguar. You have been working and have made significant changes to your life."