Cumbria Police stopped and searched Stephen McRoy after a local resident tipped them off that he had been acting suspiciously in the area, they found a pair of football boots in his bag, which is not unusual for a young man, but inside them was a hoard of class A drugs including heroin, cannabis and ecstasy.
He was quickly arrested and charged him with possessing drugs with intent to supply, to which he pleaded guilty. The court was told how he was spotted loitering near Haverigg prison last year when the authorities were notified.
McRoy was found standing on a pavement and told police he was waiting for a friend, at which point he was attempting to contact someone on his mobile phone. Suspicious, the officers searched a drawstring bag he was carrying; inside the boots were a variety of small plastic packets containing the drugs.
The court heard how McRoy had intended to deliver the drugs to the prison, they had a street value of over 2000 but inside prison they would be worth more than five times that. Drugs are often thrown over the fences of prisons and sold inside for huge prices. McRoy had been offered 300 to deliver them to the prison.
He accepted the charges of possession but Martin Pizzey, defending, said that he had no involvement in the preparation of the bag he was delivering. He was a stranger to Cumbria and had never visited there before; he also knew nothing of the people he was there to meet and was only told he would be giving the bag to someone in a silver Volkswagen Golf.
He had travelled to Cumbria with friends and even paid for petrol, his role was that of a delivery man and failure to deliver the package would have resulted in severe recriminations. The court heard how McRoy was an easy target as he was attempting to clear his debts and buy his girlfriend a present, “he has been foolish and used,” said Pizzey.
Despite his minor role, Judge Pamela told the defendant “I don’t accept that you didn’t appreciate where the drugs would end up.” He has been sentenced to 3 years 10 months in jail.
After this encounter, Cumbria police are likely to be suspicious of anyone wearing Nike football boots and an Arsenal football shirt.
