Former soldier Paul Barrett was stopped by customs officers at Newcastle Airport after arriving on a Jet2 flight from Faro, with 20kg of cannabis and over a kilo of ketamine hidden in his suitcase
A drug trafficker exclaimed “get in there” after learning he wouldn’t be handed a prison sentence for attempting to smuggle 20 kilos of cannabis in his suitcase.
Ex-soldier Paul Barrett was apprehended with the cannabis and a kilo of ketamine by customs officers at Newcastle Airport. When confronted, Barrett, who has prior convictions including possession of cocaine with intent to supply, admitted “I’ve got some weed” and revealed he had accumulated debts from cocaine and gambling addictions.
He has now been given a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court. After courteously assuring a judge he wouldn’t let her down, his jubilant outburst could be heard as the case concluded.
Barrett had arrived at Newcastle Airport on a Jet2 flight from Faro around 2pm on May 4 this year. After retrieving his suitcase from the carousel, he was intercepted by customs.
Neil Jones, prosecuting, said: “He confirmed he was a solo traveller and all of the bags were his own. Asked if he had packed them, he said he had not packed the suitcase, which had been given to him.”, reports Chronicle Live. “Asked about its contents, he said ‘I’m going to be honest with you, I’m carrying some weed. I’ve got a debt I owe.”
Inside the case, customs officers discovered four packages which contained 20.5 kilos of cannabis resin and another package was 1.12 kilos of ketamine. The wholesale value of the drugs was £80,000 but they would have been worth considerably more when broken down into deals.
Barrett read a prepared statement in which he revealed he was an army veteran suffering from PTSD, and confessed to struggling with cocaine and gambling addictions since leaving the military.
Barrett has 18 previous convictions, including for possessing cocaine with intent to supply, for which he received a suspended sentence in 2023. He also has convictions for being involved in the supply of ketamine, possessing cocaine and drug driving.
For his latest offences, the 38-year-old, of Southport Road, Ormskirk Lancashire, admitted to two counts of being involved in the fraudulent evasion on the prohibition on the importation of cannabis and ketamine.
Chris Knox, defending, said: “He understands what a mess he has made by getting involved in drugs. He very much gets the message and he understands almost all of his difficulties in relation to the courts have arisen from his involvement with drugs.
“He is desperate to get back to the care of his children and he has a job offer and the employment involves him being subjected to drug tests.”
Judge Sarah Mallet told Barrett, who has been remanded in custody, that she would give him “one last chance” and sentenced him to 18 months suspended for two years with 100 hours of unpaid work.
Barrett, appearing in court via a video-link from prison, said: “Thank your for the opportunity ma’am and I won’t let you down. I’m thinking of my children.”
After being informed he would be released today, he was heard exclaiming “get in there” as he exited the video-link room.
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