Lindale farmer buried hard drug stash
Last updated at 15:59, Friday, 15 February 2013
A DRUG dealer was so “spooked” by a mystery car parked near an isolated farm in south Cumbria that he got the farmer to hide the stash of ecstasy tablets and cocaine he had with him, a court has heard.
The next day the farmer was arrested after police swooped on the farm at Lindale, near Grange, and found the drugs buried in a plastic tub under a stone in a field.
Now grandfather Jonathan Twigge, 54, has been given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty at Carlisle Crown Court to possessing £3,936-worth of class A drugs – 99 ecstasy tablets and 29 grams of cocaine.
The court heard that Twigge – a 54-year-old who has been using hard drugs for more than 25 years – pleaded guilty only on the basis that he was looking after the drugs for the drug-dealing friend who had been too worried by the “suspicious” car to take them away after visiting Twigge.
The court heard that after spotting the car in such an unlikely location the man initially asked Twigge to keep the drugs in his caravan until he felt it was safe to return for them.
But Twigge refused because he liked to keep his drugs away from his partner, who disapproved of his long-standing habit.
So he hid them under a stone just beyond the boundary of his own land, but they were found the following day when police arrived and “gave the property a thorough going-over,” said prosecuting barrister Mr Greg Hoare.
The court heard that, despite having a serious drugs habit for a quarter-of-a-century, Twigge was “a salt-of-the-earth character and a helpful member of his community”.
Twigge was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, and put on probation for 12 months.
Judge Barbara Forrester told him he could easily have been sent straight to prison, but she added: “It seems your life is split into two halves – a hard-working farmer working seven days a week, 24 hours a day to support his family, and a drug user who enjoys taking controlled drugs knowing full well that they are illegal.’’
First published at 15:49, Friday, 15 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Have your say
Drugs are a big problem for local people in Cumbria. Protect your family before your children are offered modern cannabis or cacaine by their naive mates. Be your families protector and call the police on 101 or call Crimestopper on 0800 555 111 or the Crimestoppers website. Rid the area of these very unpleasant people.
Posted by localsagainstdrugs on 22 February 2013 at 19:59