Dramatic moment Staffordshire Police find estimated £1.4M to £1.8M of cocaine in back of man’s van on A500

Dramatic police bodycam footage shows the moment officers found an estimated £1.4 million to £1.8 million of cocaine in the back of a man’s van in Staffordshire.

Staffordshire Police says officers from the force’s road crime team (RCT) acted on intelligence and stopped a Ford Transit that was travelling on the A500 in Stoke-on-Trent in February this year.

The driver, 47-year-old Wesley Hughes, of Wallasey in Merseyside, has now been jailed for five years and ten months.

In the back of Hughes’ van, officers found a plastic bag which had 12 one-kilogramme bricks of cocaine inside. The drugs were later valued between £1.4 million and £1.8 million.

Despite originally saying on interview that he didn’t know how the drugs ended up there, Hughes pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine. He was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday 21 August and ordered to pay £228 in surcharge.

Superintendent Dan Ison said: “This conviction follows a regional organised crime unit (ROCU) investigation into the supply of class A drugs and demonstrates the important role we play in tackling serious and organised crime across the region.

“Officers seized cocaine with an estimated street value of £1.8 million, preventing a significant quantity of drugs from reaching our communities and causing further harm. The five-year prison sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence.

“ROCU will continue to use intelligence, specialist resources and collaborative working to identify and disrupt organised crime groups and bring those responsible to justice.”