Harwich man found with nearly £100k of cocaine while driving on M6 in Staffordshire
An Essex man has been locked up after being found carrying almost £100,00 worth of cocaine while travelling on a major motorway. Mark Welstead was found with £96,000 worth of the Class A drug while driving on the M6 in Staffordshire.
Welstead, 44, of Harwich, appeared at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday (January 29) and was jailed for three-years-and-nine-months after he previously admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine. He was spotted driving southbound between junction 12 and junction 13 in a car on September 28 last year.
When police searched inside, they found three brick sized packages of cocaine in the footwell. Each of them was estimated to be worth between £26,000 and £32,000, valued together up to £96,000.
Detective Constable Reece Hingley, from Staffordshire Police's criminal investigations department (CID), analysed the packages and collected witness statements to secure all of the evidence needed for court. Following Welstead's jailing, the drugs have been destroyed.
Chief Inspector Scott McGrath, from RCT, said: “This incident goes to show the benefit of being proactive in our pursuit of offenders on our roads and what can be found, even in the most routine of traffic stops.
“We’re dedicated to stopping those using our road networks to commit crime. Whether this is putting others at risk through dangerous driving, or using our roads as a way of committing crime and transporting illegal drugs from place to place – we want these people to know that we’re out there and will find you.
“I’m really pleased with our team’s efforts to keep people safe in Staffordshire and I can assure local communities that we’re pulling out all the stops to make sure criminals who use our road networks are targeted.”