A cannabis courier who embarked on a risky road trip to Cumbria with an £80,000 criminal cargo as he sought to make some extra cash for Christmas has avoided being imprisoned for the festive period.
Darren Halfhide, 53, was stopped by police close to Southwaite, between Penrith and Carlisle, while travelling north on the M6 on November 22. As Halfhide was taken into custody, his Lexus was searched by police who found 8kg of skunk cannabis — potentially worth £80,000 — inside vacuum-sealed packages in the boot.
These were contained within a cardboard box on which aftershave had been poured in a crude bid to mask the “overwhelming” drug odour, Carlisle Crown Court heard today.
Vehicle owner Halfhide told police on arrest: “I don’t know what they have found. All I can say is I am the chauffeur. I’m just making extra money for Christmas.” Of an initial account Halfhide gave to police, Mr Rogerson told the court: “He claimed he didn’t know what was inside the box, saying a recent bout of Covid had affected his smell.”
Halfhide, of Beatrice Avenue, Wembley, admitted possessing both cannabis with intent to supply, and criminal property — £1,000 cash having also been found in the car.
The out-of-work coach driver was said to have “stupidly accepted” an opportunity to drive a package from his native London to Cumbria, and been promised a £400 fee. But Judge Nicholas Barker dismissed Halfhide’s initial claim that he didn’t know what he was transporting on the M6.
“You had a clear understanding this was a relatively significant delivery,” said the judge. “There is no doubt that the cannabis was destined for Cumbria; destined for distribution in this county.”
Having been on remand in custody for a month, Halfhide had an eight-month jail term suspended for two years. He must complete 180 hours’ work and a three-month nighttime curfew.
