His family thought he was working as an electrician while he carried out crime
His family thought he was working as an electrician while he carried out crime
Stuart Wood, 39, travelled repeatedly between the north west of England and south Wales
Stuart Wood, 39, was found with £26,500 worth of cocaine after he was stopped by police while travelling between Monmouth and his home in Cheshire.
(Image: Gwent Police )
A man's family thought he was going out to work as an electrician while he drove drugs around the UK. Stuart Wood was found in possession of more £26,000 worth of cocaine when he was stopped by police on a major road and was found with a package under his car bonnet.
Wood, 39, was driving a black Mercedes Benz on the A40 south of the Monmouth tunnels when he was pulled over by police. Intelligence had been received that the vehicle had been making multiple journeys between Cheshire and Monmouth over the previous months.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard a search of the car was undertaken. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
The defendant was asked if there was anything inside the vehicle, and he said there was not.
A package was discovered in an engine chamber which was later found to contain 265g of cocaine.
Prosecutor James Evans said the wholesale value of the drugs was between £7,000 and £10,000, but a street value was calculated to be £26,500.
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An iPhone was seized from Wood and showed he had made four previous journeys from Cheshire to Monmouth on June 11, August 28, October 11 and November 26.
Mr Evans said it was suggested similar amounts of cocaine had been transported on those occasions, which would equate to a total of 1.3kg of cocaine being moved.
The barrister said Wood's role was above that of a street dealer, and he was supplying to dealers himself.
The defendant, of Duke Street, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
The court heard he has 11 previous convictions, including two offences of money laundering which involved sums of £300,000 and £261,000 respectively.
In mitigation, Richard Ace said his client had been a drinker and had lost his driving licence, which led him to using cocaine regularly and he built up a debt which he worked to pay off.
The defendant is a father of two children and his family believed he was working as an electrician while he was carrying out the offences.
Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: "You realised you were playing for high stakes and you lost."
Wood was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
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