A MAN led police straight to his door after attempting to import more than £7,000 of cannabis in a parcel sent to his home address.
Prosecutor Craig Jones told the court that a parcel from Sacramento addressed to a property on Newport Road in the Lower Town area of Fishguard, arrived in the UK on September 26, 2019.
The parcel, which had a “generic customs declaration”, was intercepted by UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport.
Inside was a cardboard box containing three vacuum sealed bags containing a total of 655.49 grams of cannabis with a street value of “just over £7,000”, Mr Jones said.
A fingerprint which matched Kane Saxton was recovered from the parcel.
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On January 30, 2020, police officers searched the address the parcel had been sent to, and found 74.98 grams of cannabis divided in to four zip lock bags, and a further 176.56 grams of cannabis resin split between two zip lock bags. The officers also found £830 in cash and a number of other zip lock bags.
Saxton was interviewed twice and denied importing the cannabis and possession with intent to supply. He said the cannabis found at his address was for his own personal use.
He later pleaded guilty to the importation and intent to supply charges on the basis that he had developed a cannabis habit while working abroad in parts of the world where it was legal, and that it was primarily for him – although he would have sold some to friends.
Saxton, 32, now of Maes Newydd in Dinas Cross, has one previous conviction in September 2020 for driving while under the influence of cannabis.
The court heard that Saxton had now “settled down to an industrious lifestyle” and ran his own business.
“He hasn’t used [cannabis] in two years,” defence counsel Ian Ibrahim said, adding the one exception was “about two weeks ago” due to the “stress” of the court proceedings.
The judge, Recorder J. Powell, said that Saxton had tried to import “a very significant amount of cannabis”.
However, he acknowledged there had also been a “significant delay since the offending took place”.
Saxton was sentenced to 11 months for possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and five months – running concurrently – for importation of cannabis. These sentences were suspended for 18 months.
As part of this, Saxton must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement, and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Proceeds of Crime Act investigations were also opened.
Saxton’s partner, Alexandra Rawson, had also been jointly charged with importing cannabis and possession with intent to supply – which she denied.
The prosecution entered no evidence on either charge, and Rawson, 36, was found not guilty.
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