A van driver who was helping mentor ex-prisoners released from jail was caught red-handed with £60,000 worth of cocaine.
The stash was in a secret cabinet compartment in his vehicle.
David Whitehead, 42, from Salford, also left behind a damning trail of postcodes and estimated arrival times for his illegal deliveries as a drugs courier.
A personal trainer, and convicted robber, Whitehead travelled to re-stock street dealers with a criminal cargo of high purity class A drug blocks, and was also found with wads of cash bearing different men’s names.
READ MORE: Shock as taxi driver left fighting for his life after brutal attack in middle of major road
He was stopped by two PCs while driving a Ford Transit in the Frizington area of West Cumbria at around 5.30pm on July 23.
A clear bag containing cocaine was found within his waistband along with £200 cash.
“At the roadside, he accepted that the powder in his possession was cocaine,” prosecutor Holly Nelson told Carlisle Crown Court.
During an initial examination of the van, around £2,000 cash bearing the name “Jonno” was recovered, along with several mobile phones.
A black Nokia device was described as being the “drug phone”. “This appears to receive postcodes from at least 24 separate numbers and responds with other postcodes and estimated times of arrival,” said Miss Nelson.
There was then a more comprehensive search of the van.
“In the rear, on what’s described as a secret compartment of a cabinet, three blocks of white powder were located in addition to two further separate quantities of cash,” she continued.
“The wads of cash also had notes on top of them with the names Sam and Chris.”
A sat nav and note pad bearing a list of names, and linked to postcodes, were found in the van.
It emerged Whitehead had driven to Cumbria using the M61, M6 and A66, heading to Frizington via Keswick, Whitehaven and Workington.
“The Crown’s case is that this defendant travelled from the Greater Manchester area to re-stock street dealers in the Cumbria area to return with cash payments from these drug deals,” said Miss Nelson.
“He was a courier and wholesale re-stocker, trusted to carry large amounts of cocaine and cash.”
The three large drug blocks had respective purifies of 50, 76 and 78 per cent. Three-quarters of a kilo, potentially worth £60,000 if divided into small deals and sold on the street, were seized, along with a total of £5,390 cash.
The court heard Whitehead was handed a prison sentence in 2010 of 10 years and four months for conspiracy to rob and possession of a handgun. He was one of three men tracked by armed cops who swooped and found them inside a stolen car in Knutsford as they were about to raid a jewellers.
In relation to the Cumbria crime, Whitehead admitted possessing both cocaine with intent to supply, and criminal property.
Kim Whittlestone, defending, accepted: “It is clear that the defendant will have had some awareness of the scale of the operation given the setup of the van. I would submit it was not an operational or management role.”
A probation service pre-sentence report gave insight into why Whitehead had returned to crime after serving the previous significant sentence.
“It appears he had been doing rather well,” said his barrister.
He had qualified as an HGV driver. “Somewhat ironically he was helping mentor other prisoners who were being released from custody and assisting Trafford Housing Trust,” said Miss Whittlestone.
He latterly had a stable family, a partner and numerous children. But then Covid hit and positive influences having trained as a personal trainer and through playing rugby were lost.
He began taking substances and racked up a £5,000 debt. Miss Whittlestone said: “He found himself in debt and found himself in a position where he was asked to deliver this substance. He agreed to do so.”
Whitehead was not threatened, although his barrister told the court: “He was always aware of what would happen if he didn’t.
“He is remorseful for putting his family in a position where they are struggling financially.
“He knows it is going to be a lengthy custodial sentence. He will do all he can to put his offending behind him.”
Jailing Whitehead, of Duffield Road, for four-and-a-half years, Judge Simon Medland QC said: “I accept that you weren’t anywhere near the top of the tree but this process by which these drugs are shunted around depends on people being trusted by those who are.
“You needed to be trusted and you needed to be determined to do it because if you didn’t do it the link in the chain that you formed would be broken.”
