A VAN driver stopped by police in Kendal because his vehicle's tail light was faulty had cocaine worth £56,500 hidden in the steering column. 

The eagle-eyed officers who stopped Daniel McGough’s Ford Transit became increasingly suspicious when he claimed he was on his way to enjoy a fell walk – yet he had no appropriate walking gear with him. 

At Carlisle Crown Court, the 36-year-old McGough admitted possessing the class A drug with intent to supply. He also pleaded guilty to possessing two offensive weapons.

Prosecutor Tim Evans outlined the facts.

McGough was at the wheel of his van as he drove along the A590 near Crooklands on May 31, 2022, when police noticed his van. “The officers noticed that the offside tail light of the van appeared to be faulty,” said Mr Evans.

“He told the officers he was on his way for a walk.

“He was in his work clothes and his account did not ring true, so the officers decided to search his van. There was no walking equipment or walking boots.” The vehicle search finally revealed incriminating evidence.

McGough had three mobile phones, but more significantly, the officers noticed that the plastic trim around the van’s steering column appeared to be loose.

“When it was pulled away,” said Mr Evans, “the officers found a number of clear bags concealed there, which in due course were found to contain cocaine.” In total, there was 577g of the class A drug.

Its potential street value was estimated to be up to £56,500. Mr Evans said there was enough cocaine – its purity being 76 to 80 per cent - to make up 560 individual cocaine deals. Behind the driver’s seat was a wooden baseball bat together with what appeared to be a homemade wooden bat.

The defendant refused to provide PIN numbers for the phones that were found. McGough’s barrister said the defendant agreed to transport the cocaine to pay off his own £450 debt.

The barrister said McGough, of Maple Avenue, Eccles, Manchester, had undergone a series of bereavements, including the loss of his grandfather. His mental health difficulties appeared to include post traumatic stress disorder and personality disorders.

“He accepts that he’s been involved in taking drugs and some of his problems may be down to cannabis misuse,” said the barrister. “He was asked to act as a courier to clear his debt.”

Recorder Julian Shaw told the defendant: “Class A drugs are a scourge on our society; they cause huge harm and frequently death. They cause untold misery to the people who are sadly addicted to it.”

The drugs trade also caused harm to the families of those preyed upon by the the dealers who involve them in such criminality. Formerly a man of good character, McGough was nevertheless an intelligent man who had made a conscious decision to involve himself in the drugs trade, said the judge.

The defendant was jailed for two and a half years.