A DRUG-driving motorist caught transporting almost half a kilo of cocaine on the M6 near Carlisle has been jailed.

Father-of-two Dean McLellan, 34, who wept as a judge told him that there was no option other than immediate custody, was said to have committed the offence as the result of 'pressure and coercion' from dealers.

He admitted possessing the class A drug with intent to supply.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that the defendant’s admission was submitted on the basis that he owed a debt to dealers and that he was pressured into acting as a courier for the drugs he was bringing to the city.

Claire Larton, prosecuting, said the alarm was raised at 10am on July 3 last year when members of the public contacted the police to say they were concerned about the 'erratic' driving on the M6 as he drove north.

Police were told that at one point the defendant’s VW Tiguan had almost collided with the motorway’s central reservation. This happened near to the motorway’s Tebay Services.

When police caught up with the defendant near to one of the motorway’s Carlisle junctions, he appeared 'nervous, sweaty and twitchy,' Miss Larton told the court.

As a result of both his driving and that behaviour, the police officers decided to conduct both a breathalyser test and a drugs swipe. The breath test returned a negative result.

But the drugs test showed that McLellan was six times the permitted cocaine limit for driving – an offence the defendant later admitted. McLellan was using a satnav, and the destination address had a Carlisle postcode.

When police searched the defendant’s car they found – hidden in a tray beneath the driver’s seat – almost half a kilo of cocaine, which was 78 per cent pure. The consignment of class A drug had an estimated wholesale value of £49,700, said the prosecutor.

“The defendant’s fingerprints were found on the external packaging,” said Miss Larton, adding that the defendant had previous convictions for cocaine possession and four convictions for drug driving.

Brendan Burke, defending, said the defendant’s criminal record, containing cocaine possession offences, supported his claim that he was targeted by higher-level dealers because of his addiction.

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Those who sold drugs to people like McLellan did not forgive those who owe a debt, whether the sum owed is large or, as in the defendant’s case, small.

“It’s part of their business to make it clear that nobody can default on any amount,” said Mr Burke. The defendant was told 'serious harm' would result for his relatives if he refused to do their bidding.

The barrister said McLellan’s family had known nothing about the position the defendant had got himself into, though they were now supporting to help him overcome his addiction.

Mr Burke described the defendant had become isolated, burdened by his guilty secret which he could share with nobody. The barrister added that McLellan was the main carer for his two children.

Recorder Julian Shaw noted that the defendant had been transporting a 'very high concentration' of the class A drug and also that his past convictions showed a clear association with cocaine.

Commenting on the jail he felt he had to impose, the judge said: “I have to impose immediate custody on you because it’s a blight, a filthy trade causing untold misery, as you yourself have experienced.”

The Recorder noticed also how the defendant had put others at risk by drug driving on one of the country’s busiest motorways.

“You alone have got yourself into this situation,” said the judge, though he did accept that the offence was isolated and committed as a result of the 'coercive' pressure linked to his drugs debt.

“But you have expressed considerable remorse,” continued the judge, noting that his family would be hit hard by his being jailed. The judge jailed the defendant, Arbor Drive, Manchester, for 28 months.

But Recorder Shaw added that he was sure that when released McLellan would do all he could to repay the “love, support and affection” of his family, who watched the case from the public gallery.

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