Taxi driver caught with £265k drug haul following police chasehttps://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... ice-chase/
A TAXI driver turned to being a drug courier to pay off his cocaine debt – but he was rumbled when he tried to flee from police.
Police found more than £250,000 worth of illegal drugs after they detained Alex Verdin, who tried to flee by driving in a dangerous manner.
As the 29-year-old, of Warrington, fled from officers on foot, he threw some of the drug packages into residential gardens in St Helens.
But he was caught, the drugs were recovered, and he was later charged with dangerous driving and possession with intent to supply both cocaine and cannabis.
The defendant admitted the offences and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, where he appeared via video-link from HM Prison Liverpool.
The court heard that officers from Merseyside Police attempted to stop a Kia Niro taxi near Collins Green, at around 11pm on Sunday, October 12.
The vehicle had been driven through a police road closure due to a crash at the junction of Bold Lane and Broad Lane, explained Christopher Taylor, prosecuting.
Verdin, who was behind the wheel, sped off in a dangerous manner, with police pursuing.
The defendant failed to stop, reaching excessive speed in his attempts to flee and contravening a red traffic light ‘with no consideration for other road users’.
“Fortunately for you, no other road users were out as it was late at night, and there was no injury or harm to others that could have been so readily caused,” he was told by recorder Gavin McBride, presiding over the hearing.
The short chase ended on Carole Close in Sutton Leach, St Helens, where Verdin made off on foot and was seen by a police officer discarding packages.
These were recovered from a bush in a garden near to where he was detained on Quick Fields Drive, and they were confirmed to contain cocaine.
A search of his Kia resulted in 27 vacuum-sealed packages of cannabis, and he was arrested on suspicion of drug supply offences.
Verdin was said to have tested positive for having cocaine in his system during a roadside test, but he was not charged with drug-driving.
Officers visited his home, conducted a search, and found approximately £2,000, which was seized by the magistrates’ court.
The defendant answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him during his police interview.
In total, the police recovered 27 vacuum-sealed packages containing a total of 12.2kg of cannabis, which had a wholesale value of between £54,000 and £81,000.
The court heard that the potential street value of the class B drug, when cut down into individual deals, was between £122,310 and £183,465.
The cocaine seized was around 1kg in weight and described as ‘importation quality’, with its purity graded as 86 per cent.
The class A drug had a street value of between £39,000 and £99,500, the court heard.
Mr Taylor revealed to the court that Verdin has a previous conviction from 2018 that was dissimilar in nature, but it did involve the possession of cannabis for personal use.
“The defendant was clearly carrying out an operational and management function in a chain under direction, with no influence on those above him,” Mr Taylor said.
Verdin pleaded guilty to the charges on the basis that he was a cocaine user and had agreed to work as a drug courier to pay off a debt accrued to his suppliers through his addiction.
Through his driving, it was said that the defendant showed a ‘deliberate disregard’ for the rules of the road.
In mitigation, Matthew O’Neill, defending, said that his client was not living a ‘lavish’ lifestyle on the back of drug dealing and described him as a ‘hard-working taxi driver’.
The married father-of-two’s addiction saw him abuse cocaine on a daily basis, but Mr O’Neill said: “He has no one else but himself to blame.
“He has to live with the consequences of his actions, and that his two young children will be without their father for a significant period of time.”
Since his remand in custody for the first time, which has been ‘traumatising’, Verdin has been reflecting on his actions, the court heard, and he has sought help to overcome his drug problem.
“I invite the court to sentence him to the shortest sentence that your honour possibly can, to give him purpose and some light at the end of the tunnel, Mr O’Neill added.
“He accepts his wrongdoing and is trying to make changes to his life in order to, when released from custody, carry on being a devoted father.”
Verdin, of Hemingfield Grove in Great Sankey, was sentenced to 45 months in prison, to be served immediately.
He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months on his release and must pass an extended driving test after this period before getting back behind the wheel.
In addition, the court approved an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the cocaine and cannabis seized.
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