Bodycam captures second grandad will get busted with with £1.5m cocaine haul in van
Paul Price, 50, was stopped by police in a white van while transporting £1.5m worth of cocaine in Middlesbrough – now bodycam footage of his arrest has been released
A grandad was left with his head in his hands as he was jailed for transporting cocaine worth £1.5m in Middlesbrough. Paul Price was pulled over by the police while driving a white van on November 13.
Upon his arrest, he confessed to the officers that there were drugs stashed in the back of the van. Cleveland Police released footage showing the moment of his arrest and the discovery of packages in the van’s rear, aided by a police dog.
A rucksack containing five 1kg blocks of cocaine was found, and a further search revealed an additional 10 wrapped blocks of the drug. Earlier this week, Teesside Crown Court was told that a total of 15kg of cocaine, with a wholesale value of £270,000, had been seized.
A drugs expert who analysed the stash stated that, at street prices, the drugs could have fetched between £1.2m and £1.5m. In mitigation, Judge Richard Clews was informed that the 50-year-old had served in the army for approximately 10 years.
He was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder which led to alcohol and cocaine misuse that “spiralled out of control”. The court heard that for most of his life, he had been gainfully employed and had plans to start a carpet fitting business with his partner, reports Teesside Live.
The father-of-three, with three convictions for five offences, was far from his Merseyside home when he was nicked in Middlesbrough. Price buried his face in his hands as he was handed a seven-year and four-month prison sentence for possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
Judge Clews stated: “It is apparent to me, and I’m sure to other judges who deal with these cases, that someone found with that amount of drugs in their position can only have been someone significantly trusted by those behind this organisation.
“This is at a level where it is quite clearly professional crime and organised crime at that.”
He told Price, of Brookdale, Ainsdale, Sefton, that class A drugs cause “untold misery”. Detective Constable Ian Waugh from the Dedicated Drugs Unit (DDU) commented: “Cleveland Police responded quickly to stop this vehicle and prevent these class A drugs from hitting the streets of Teesside.
“We have stopped around £1,500,000 from falling into the hands of organised criminals and prevented a destructive drug from entering our communities which blight the lives of many vulnerable people.
“We will not tolerate criminals dealing drugs and exploiting vulnerable people for their own gain. I would urge the public to continue to report their concerns to officers.”
