Four years for Sandy cocaine courier

Darren Boothby, 29 of Woodcote Close, Sandy was given the sentence at Luton Crown Court after he admitted moving cocaine worth up to £93,000 on September 13 this year.

Plasterer Boothby claimed he was lured into being a courier for a payment of £500, and was then threatened when he tried to pull out.

The court was told on Friday last week (November 11) that Boothby’s van was searched after he was stopped on the A1 close to Biggleswade.

Police found a bag containing 780 grammes of cocaine which could have been sold for between £60,000 and £93,000 if it was cut down to street deals, prosecutor Claude Elliott said.

Judge Jeffrey Burke QC said it appeared that the drugs had been collected from Peterborough and were being delivered to an unknown destination.

David Noble, defending said that after he started using cocaine socially it was suggested to Boothby that he could make some money by being a courier.

He said: “When he tried to break the arrangement he was told there would be physical consequences for himself and his family.

“He actually felt relieved after his arrest knowing it was all over.

“But I would ask the court to be as lenient as possible with him.”

Judge Burke told Boothby: “Why you allowed yourself to play this vital role in the distribution network is impossible to say.

“But you did so at the risk of a severe sentence.

“The reason for that is that Class A drugs cause addiction and cause enormous harm.

“It is not only the degradation and addiction but also the criminality that results from the addicts’ desire to get drugs.”