Man with £2.4m worth of cocaine on M6 jailed
Cumbria ConstabularyA scaffolder caught with £2.4m worth of cocaine during an M6 drug run has been jailed.
Scott Tobin was driving his Mercedes on the northbound motorway, near Penrith, on 5 November when he was stopped by Cumbria Police officers.
Carlisle Crown Court heard how "the colour drained from his face" when officers asked if there was anything of note in his car.
The 33-year-old of Holmlea Court, Glasgow, admitted cocaine possession with intent to supply and was jailed for eight years on Wednesday.
An open cardboard box found in the boot contained 30 one-kilo blocks of cocaine, which police drug's expert said was worth between £630,000 and £720,000 wholesale, with a potential street value in the region of £2.4m, the court heard.
It also heard he had "fallen out with the tax man", running up a £20,000 debt with HMRC, and had agreed - for a £2,500 payment - to transport a package he suspected contained drugs from Liverpool to Glasgow.
Callum Morris, defending, said Tobin, who had no previous convictions, was not a drug user.
"He is very remorseful. He wants to apologise to the court," he said.
Cumbria ConstabularyJudge Michael Fanning accepted he had been "candid, open and honest" with a probation officer about his criminal conduct.
"This is a significant consignment," he said.
"The harm would be significant if this (drug) had ended up on the streets, something which you readily appreciate.
"You went into this with your eyes wide open - you took a calculated risk."
A spokesperson from Westmorland and Furness's community and serious organised crime unit said: "The actions of the officers who stopped Tobin's vehicle that day have ensured millions of pounds worth of drugs never made it on to the streets.
"I hope this seizure and sentencing demonstrate our firm commitment to tackling drug-related crime."