A CANNABIS carrying courier’s consignment was uncovered when he was stopped by police on a return run from Liverpool.

David Lintern was enlisted to make the trans-Pennine trip to Merseyside and back to collect cannabis worth potentially £110,880, on February 28, 2018.

Durham Crown Court heard he collected 11 one-gram cannabis packages which he placed in the rear of the specially-hired van.

But as he was on the last leg of the return to his home in Consett, police pulled over the van on the A68 near Crook, at 8.45pm.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said apart from the cannabis consignment, officers seized his mobile phone revealing a two-way flow of messages on the outward journey as he neared his destination in Liverpool.

When police searched Lintern’s home address, it also led to the recovery of smaller amounts of ecstasy, amphetamines and diazepam, for his own consumption.

Lintern claimed it was a “one-off” run to Merseyside, which Mr Dodds said implied “significant trust” being placed in him to be given charge of such a valuable consignment, to take, “from one side of the country to the other.”

Mr Dodds added: “He was a courier, motivated by financial gain, as he was obviously not going to do it for nothing.”

The 39-year-old defendant, of John Street, Blackhill, Consett, admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply, plus three counts of simple possession of the drugs recovered from his home.

Jennifer Coxon, mitigating, said Lintern has mental health issues arising from his long-term use of drugs, which, in-turn, he used to “self-medicate.”

She said he got involved with, “the wrong crowd” leading to him accumulating debts with drug dealers.

“One way to pay that off was to do the one-off trip. Payment wasn’t cash in hand, it was getting rid of his debt.”

She added that as the consignment has now been seized by police it has left Lintern with a new debt of £40,000 to the dealers involved.

Recorder Paul Greaney QC said it was clear to see why the dealers saw Lintern as, “a good candidate” to transport the drugs.

He imposed a two-year prison sentence and ordered forfeiture and destruction of the seized drugs.

A Proceeds of Crime timetable was put in place to see what can be confiscated from Lintern.