Seems to be a lot of cars stopped on this part of the M6, and a bit further up towards Carlisle and the Scottish border.
Presumably due to the drugs trade in the Greater Glasgow area in particular, and connections in Merseyside and adjacent locations like Wigan here
And another one where it sounds like it's almost a random stop that comes up trumps - here it reads like they only stopped the car because it was an out-of-area PHV
If that indeed was the case then Wolverhampton-plated PHVs would be getting stopped and searched all over the place
Taxi driver stopped near Penrith had £26k of suspected drug moneyhttps://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/2620 ... rug-money/A TAXI driver who appeared “nervous” after his Audi was stopped on the M6 near Penrith was transporting more than £26,000 in suspicious cash, a court heard.Police suspect the money was linked to the drugs trade.
At Carlise Crown Court, 49-year-old Vladimir Vismanis was sentenced after he earlier entered a guilty plea to an allegation possessing or acquiring criminal property.
Prosecutor Tim Evans outlined the facts.
Shortly before 6pm on October 2 last year, police saw the defendant driving his grey Audi A6 southwards between Junctions 41 and 40, noticing that it was a private hire vehicle from outside Cumbria.
“They put on their blue lights and noted that it took quite a long time for the car to pull over and that whilst this was happening the driver could be seen moving about as if moving or hiding items,” said Mr Evans.
At the roadside, the driver seemed “nervous,” and claimed that he had been to see a girl in Paisley.
When quizzed about what he had been doing as the police car began following him, he spoke about being in a traffic jam and using a bottle to urinate in.
He admitted that there was cash in the car, stating it would be about £30,000. Vismanis claimed this was from the proceeds of a house sale after splitting from a previous partner.
The prosecutor said: “It was plain that that was untrue.
“The notes were mainly Scottish notes, the bulk of which were wrapped in elastic bands often with a large denomination note wrapped around the bundle.
“There were also Bank of Ulster notes and English notes and other wads of cash not bundled. One of the bundles consisted exclusively of £50 notes.”
“Specifically, £14,260.00 were Scottish bank notes, £12,020.00 were English bank notes and £400.00 were Ulster bank notes.
“It was plainly inconceivable that any conveyancing transaction should be done in cash and particularly largely Scottish cash when the house being sold was in the Northwest of England -an absurdity no doubt recognised in the eventual tendering of the plea.”
The total amount of cash was £26,680.
The defendant’s car was seen on camera in the Glasgow area after leaving Lancashire at around 8am. The short turnaround journey and the way in which the money was wrapped was consistent with the collection of money which was “in all probability” from drugs, said Mr Evans.
Andrew Evans, defending, said the defendant, from Scholes, Wigan, was a man of previous good character, who had an issue with cocaine.
Judge Michael Fanning observed that background papers revealed Vismanis had accrued a £6,000 debt from his cocaine habit, and this rendered him vulnerable to exploitation.
He imposed a 12-month community order, which includes five rehabilitation activity days, a £50 fine, and a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement.
The defendant must also pay a £114 victim surcharge. There will be a seven day jail term in default if the money owed is not paid.
Login
Register
FAQ
