A driver caught in north Cumbria with cannabis potentially worth more than £250,000 has heard he could be sent to prison.
Harikson Shkurti, now aged 23, was stopped by police while driving a silver Audi on the M6 southbound, between Southwaite and Junction 41, close to Penrith at around 1.25pm on December 8, 2021.
Shkurti was the sole occupant of the vehicle, which was searched. Some 306 cannabis plants were found inside cardboard boxes which were in the boot. It is estimated this criminal haul could have been worth a total of between £85,680 and £257,000 if sold on the street.
Shkurti appeared at Carlisle Crown Court this morning. During a short hearing in front of Judge Richard Archer, he pleaded guilty to possessing the class B controlled drug with intent to supply it to another.
Defence lawyer Clarkson Baptiste told the court: “My lay client has no previous convictions, is 23 years of age and has entered a timely guilty plea in these proceedings.”
Mr Baptistle’s request for an adjournment of the case and preparation of a probation service pre-sentence report was agreed by Judge Archer. “In this case I feel it would assist the court,” said the lawyer. “Clearly in danger of custody but in my submission he is somebody who could be rehabilitated in the community.”
He confirmed that a formal written basis for the entry of Shkurti’s guilty plea would be submitted in due course, with the Crown Prosecution Service then given time to consider it.
Shkurti, of Gogarloch Syke, Edinburgh, was granted unconditional bail and is due to be sentenced at the crown court on March 24. The judge warned all sentencing options, including immediate custody, would be open on that date.
