Police catch Cannabis courier with 1 kg cargo on the A66

Mark Prenga, 44, was the front seat passenger in a car stopped near Brough, on the night of March 14.

Police pulled the vehicle over because it had a defective brake light.

Prenga and the driver gave conflicting accounts about the reasons for their journey. Prenga also gave false details but was properly identified through a fingerprint.

“The car was searched,” prosecutor Gerard Rogerson told Carlisle Crown Court. “Behind the passenger seat was found a carrier bag which contained inner packaging and a vacuum-packed bag of what appeared to be herbal cannabis.”

This weighed 1kg and was deemed to have an estimated value of £10,000.

“Mr Prenga was interviewed by police. However, he offered no comment to all questions,” said Mr Rogerson.

Prenga admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply when brought to court.

At his sentencing hearing today (today) it emerged he had previously been given a 12-month prison term at Aylesbury Crown Court in October, 2022. This was his punishment for drug production after a cannabis farm was found at an abandoned pub in High Wycombe earlier that year.

Judge Michael Fanning told Prenga, of no fixed address: “Your previous conviction shows you knew exactly how these enterprises work. You were involved for significant reward. You were clearly aware of the scale of the operation and a trusted courier.”

Prenga’s lawyer told the court Prenga had a wife and children in his native Albania, where he would return after completing his punishment for the latest cannabis crime.

Judge Fanning imposed a total sentence of eight months. Noting that Prenga had been remanded in custody since March, the judge noted that Prenga would be released imminently on licence having served half of that sentence.

Judge Fanning also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis seized by police on 14th March.

*A second man arrested by police who stopped the car on the A66 was no longer being prosecuted, the court heard today.