Man, 39, jailed after officers find £425,000 worth of cannabis in van

A man has been jailed for four and a half years after officers successfully seized £425,000 worth of cannabis from a van.

Andrew King, 39, was stopped on the A339 near Basingstoke before officers found £29,600 in cash inside the vehicle.

Officers also discovered 42.5kg of herbal cannabis, which was concealed inside the Vauxhall Vivaro he was driving on Friday 30 July.

King, from Bridge Way, Whitton, Twickenham, South West London, was arrested at the scene and later charged with being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class B.

He was also charged with acquiring, using or having possession of criminal property.

King pleaded guilty to both charges.

On Friday 15 October at Winchester Crown Court, King was sentenced to four and half years in relation to the drugs charge and 12 months for acquiring, using or having possession of criminal property.

Both sentences will run concurrently.

Detective Sergeant Tim Judd said: “This is a great result that has taken a large amount of drugs off our streets and helped to protect people from drug-related harm.

“The investigation was launched following an excellent proactive stop carried out by officers from Basingstoke’s Drug Related Harm Team.

“It enabled investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department to build a case against a man involved in the supply of a significant quantity of controlled drugs.

“The successful investigation resulted in the seizure of more than £29,000 in cash and the destruction of a large amount of cannabis, which had the street value of £425,000.

“There is an undeniable link between drugs and violence and that is why disrupting drugs supply networks is a crucial part of our work.

“We are committed and doing everything we can to tackle drugs and associated crime to keep our communities safe.

“I hope this sentence acts as a warning to anyone considering becoming involved in the supply of drugs – it will not be tolerated.”