A drugs mule caught bringing thousands of pounds worth of cocaine in through a North East ferry port has been jailed.
Convicted drugs supplier George Hume was stopped at DFDS ferry terminal at North Shields after arriving on a boat from Amsterdam.
In his luggage was a package containing 349g of cocaine, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Hume initially denied all knowledge of it then later claimed he thought it was cannabis but finally admitted seeking to import the class A drugs.
Now the 52-year-old, who has three previous convictions for cannabis supply, has been locked up for four years.
The court heard it was on January 28 last year that he got off the ferry and was stopped by Border Force officers, who searched his baggage.
Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said: "They asked questions about the purpose of his trip and he said he had been on holiday.
"He said he had packed his bag and when his suitcase was searched, 349g of cocaine was found. It had been wrapped, taped and packaged."
Mr Wardlaw added: "The Crown fully accept he was a mule carrying it for someone else but are sceptical about him saying he thought it was cannabis when he has admitted in the pre-sentence report he was using cocaine on a daily basis."
Hume pleaded guilty to the fraudulent evasion of the prohibition relating to the importation of cocaine.
The court heard he was jailed for three years in 1994 for possessing cannabis with intent to supply.
In 1998 he was jailed for five years for for being concerned in the supply of 4 kilos of cannabis.
And in 2008 he got four years for being concerned in the production of cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
Sentencing him for the latest offence, Judge Stephen Earl said: "I have decided to take a relatively lenient view of you, some would say too lenient."
"That's a lenient view because a sentence of about six years could be argued as appropriate given your record but I've decided on this occasion that's what I'm going to give you."
Barry Robson, defending, said: "He was a mule and was of the belief it was cannabis from Amsterdam. As far as that is concerned, he was wrong.
"He is a complicated man who has had paranoia and problems with his health.
"He will suffer when he goes to prison because of the situation he finds himself in, physically and mentally."
