Cannabis sentence cut
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• A Surrey truck-driver who imported 1,500kg of cannabis worth up to £5m had his prison sentence cut from 12 years to 10 by the Criminal Appeal Court in London on Monday.
David Coates of Beddington, Croydon. Surrey, was jailed on 25 March at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to importing the drug.
Justice Cresswell said: "The maximum sentence for this offence is 14 years, and appropriate allowances must be made for his guilty plea and role as courier." He pointed out that Coates had no previous convictions.
Coates' truck was stopped on 6 February last year at Dover's Eastern Docks. He told Customs
he was carrying fresh vegetables to Covent Garden arid had seen them loaded.
When the vehicle was searched, he told an officer: "The stuff you're looking for is at the front." Asked if i was drugs, he said: "Yes." Customs found the cannabis packed in boxes. Coates said: "I koew it was there. I didn't know ',Oar it was; I had a good idea it ivasn't sugar. I've never taken drugs."
He said that some months earlier he had been asked to take to Covent Garden two small boxes which he believed contained video tapes.
For that he received £2,500 which was left in his car at the market car park. He also expected to be paid this time.