Cannabis courier nabbed with £80,000 stash was stabbed after capture

Carlisle's magistrates' court. A view of the front of the court from a side angle — Carlisle’s magistrates’ court

A court has heard how a debt-laden man was caught with an £80,000 cannabis cargo on the M6 after being pressured into becoming a courier — and had been stabbed and hospitalised in the aftermath.

Thomas Watson, 22, came to the attention of police while driving north on the motorway at Southwaite, between Penrith and Carlisle, on May 1 last year.

“Police said their attention was drawn to the vehicle as it was in the centre lane and not overtaking,” prosecutor Pam Ward told Carlisle magistrates’ court.

Watson’s vehicle was pulled over. His girlfriend was a passenger.

Police located a cannabis grinder in the front and, in the rear of the vehicle, there was a “large amount” of the class B drug.

This weighed in at eight kilos and had an estimated potential street value of around £80,000.

Watson, a man of good character, appeared in court and admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

He did so on a formal basis which was outlined to magistrates.

It had been a one-off trip, said Mrs Ward. “The defendant had accrued a cannabis debt of £3,000 to his supplier,” she added.

He had been subjected to threats of violence and instructed to transport the cannabis from Teesside to Scotland to “extinguish” the drug debt. “The defendant has been stabbed and hospitalised as a result of this case,” said Mrs Ward.

Watson, of Bilsdale Gardens, Guisborough, was represented by solicitor Mark Shepherd, who said his guilty plea was entered at the first opportunity.

Watson arrived in court wearing a sling — and was suffering from a serious medical condition — both as a result of being stabbed.

The offence stemmed from his drug use and arrears.

“That came about as a result of a bereavement followed by a serious road traffic collision,” said Mr Shepherd. “He has used cannabis to medicate his symptoms. He has reasons why he chose to do that.”

Magistrates adjourned Watson’s case for the preparation of a probation service pre-sentence report. He was granted bail and is due to receive his punishment on May 24.