A CAR passenger who helped to transport 12.5 kilos of cannabis worth £125,000 along the M6 in Cumbria told police he could not smell the drug because his 'nose was blocked'.

The illicit cargo was hidden in the boot of a car which was stopped by police officers on May 19 last year after it was seen driving at high speed near to Junction 36 of the motorway in south Cumbria, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The driver was 31-year-old Redjon Gjolena and his passenger 22-year-old Halil Xhediku.

Both admitted possessing the class B drug with intent to supply.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke described how the police officers who stopped the car immediately noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from within the vehicle as they walked up to it.

Because of this, they conducted a search.

"In the boot were two large laundry bags," said Mr Burke.

"These contained separate vacuum-packed bags of cannabis."

Describing the conversation the police officers then had with Xhediku, Mr Burke said: "He said he was visiting a friend in Scotland, although he wasn't able to say where. He said he knew nothing about the cannabis and when it was pointed out to him that it was immediately obvious from the smell he said he was suffering from a blocked nose."

Gjolena told police he had gone to Scotland to look for work.

He later confirmed that he agreed to transport the cannabis for a fee of £1,000.

Xhediku's reward for being his passenger was £200.

Peter Connick, for Gjolena, said he came to the UK to look for work but - despite at one point helping his uncle with construction work, he was unable to find work or access any help. "He wants to apologise to the court and to the wider community," said the barrister.

A man with no previous convictions, Gjolena, who was remanded in custody since his arrest, now expected to be removed from the country.

Laura Broome, for Xhediku, who entered his guilty plea on the day he was due to face a trial, said he too came to the UK from Albania to seek work and a better life.

"When he arrived, finding employment wasn't as easy as he had anticipated," she said. The barrister pointed out that Xhediku had already served the equivalent of a 16-month jail term.

She added: "He now understands the seriousness of his offence and he regrets his actions."

His immigration status was also likely to be adversely affected.

Recorder Anna Vigars QC accepted that the involvement of Xhediku was limited, given his £200 payment. She jailed him for ten weeks. Gjolena played a more "significant" role, said the judge, though she accepted he was at the lower end of this category of seriousness.

He was jailed for four months.

The time both men have already spent on remand means they are likely to be released immediately.

Both are of no fixed abode.