Heroin driver sent to prison

Heroin with a street value of half a million pounds was seized on the M6 in Staffordshire, a court has heard.

Police patrol officers became suspicious of a van heading south and decided to quiz the driver at the Hilton services petrol station near Cannock.

Mr Paul Farrow, prosecuting, told Stafford Crown Court the inside of the van had "an unusual smell" and the officers found two Tesco carrier bags under the driver's seat. One contained a large amount of money in cash, the other a number of individual plastic packets.

The driver, Daemon Bush, was arrested. He said he had gone from Bristol to Liverpool with £55,000 in cash to buy heroin and there was still £15,000 left in the van. The other carrier had five kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of £500,000.

Bush, aged 41, from Bristol who admitted a charge of possessing drugs with intent to supply was jailed for six years.

Judge Mark Eades told him: "You travelled to do a drug deal for someone else. Drugs of this amount attract a large sentence."

Mr Andrew Baker, defending, said Bush previously worked as a casino croupier in the Bahamas, but lost his job. When he returned to England, he was introduced to heroin.