Trusted Hartlepool drugs courier for organised crime group caught ferrying 10 kilos of cannabis

Craig Johnson, 36, was stopped by police on the A689 shortly after collecting the drugs from an address in Stockton.

Teesside Crown Court heard it was high strength skunk cannabis valued by police at between £35,000 and £85,000.

Johnson was arrested in December 2016 after police surveillance as part of a larger drug operation on a national and international scale.

He was seen going to an address in Stockton and leaving about a minute later carrying a box around the size of a microwave, said prosecutor Rachel Masters.

Ms Masters said: “The defendant’s vehicle was followed by the police officers and he was stopped on the A689 travelling towards Hartlepool.

"Inside of the car on the back seat was recovered that package that he had been seen to put in the back.

"It was subsequently examined and found to contain ten heat-sealed packages of cannabis skunk with weights ranging from 985 grams to a kilo.

"In total it was 10 kilos.”

Coded text messages sent to Johnson were found on two mobile phones he had which used slang and innocent words for cannabis, amphetamine and cocaine.

Ms Masters added: “The officer concluded that the defendant was involved in the distribution of large quantities of drugs.”

The court heard Johnson got involved with the organised crime group to pay off a cocaine debt he owed.

He was not charged until late last year due to further police investigations and trials of other people involved.

Johnson, of Tennyson Avenue, Hartlepool, admitted possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply.

He was spared immediate jail due to the lengthy delay and after the court learned how he took action himself to conquer his addiction.

Joanne Kidd, mitigating, said there was no suggestion he received big rewards or that anyone was working beneath him in the chain.

She added he has caring responsibilities for his family.

Judge Chris Smith said: “Skunk cannabis is a plague on society, make no bones about it.”

But he said he could suspend the six-month prison sentence for 18 months due to the delay and personal mitigation.

Johnson must also complete 200 hours unpaid work in the community.

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