Greenhithe cannabis courier Sunjay Bains jailed for having huge drugs haul
by Keith Hunt
A drug user caught with large amounts of cannabis and cash has
been jailed for three years and four months.
Police first saw Sunjay Bains leaving Northfleet on December 21
last year and driving to a business park in Milton Road.
He was joined by another man and boxes were carried out and put
in the boot.
Bains, 24, parked in Forge Lane and a van arrived. He then
transferred the boxes into the van.
Maidstone Crown Court heard the van was watched as it travelled
north to Scotland. Officers pounced when it stopped at
services.
Three boxes containing 240 9oz bars of strong skunk cannabis
were seized.
The total amount found was 60 kilos with a street value
of more than £172,000.
Three months later, Bains, of The Dell, Greenhithe, was stopped
in a transit van on the M25.
Only a small amount of cannabis was found but £33,800 in cash
was in the footwell.
He was bailed and when his home was raided in July just under 14
kilos of skunk cannabis worth £133,000 on the street was seized
from a bedroom, along with £35,395 cash.
Sunjay Bains was
sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court
James Martin, defending, said Bains, who admitted conspiracy to
supply drugs and possessing criminal property, passed GCSEs and A
Levels at school and was a trainee quantity surveyor.
He became a courier because he could earn more. He started using
cannabis a few years ago.
A friend gave Bains more courier work, but it involved moving
cannabis around. "He stupidly agreed," said Mr Martin. "He starts
to spiral out of control.
"When he was arrested moving money, it should have been a
wake-up call, but there are individuals who do not take no for an
answer.
"They blamed him for the loss of £33,800. It was a sense of
relief when he was arrested again because it kept him out of the
way in custody.
"He was clearly trusted. He has made a monumental mistake, which
he regrets. He has a future if he wants to take it."
Judge Philip Statman said substantial amounts of cannabis were
involved and the network stretched to Scotland.
"Despite a warning which came with his arrest, he did not draw
the line," he added.
09/11/12
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