Court hears of '£200,000 drugs haul'

POLICE were led to a haul of £200,000 worth of cocaine and cannabis after stopping a Bexhill man in his car, a jury heard.

Officers smelled cannabis when they pulled over Simon Wisdom, 46, of Calgary Road, while on patrol in Eastbourne.

They searched the car and found herbal cannabis stashed inside the car's rear light housing along with seven mobile phones and 7,000, it is alleged.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They then swooped on a garage where they found 396 bars of cannabis, 26 grammes of cocaine and a further 3,000 in cash, Lewes Crown Court heard.

Marcus Fletcher, prosecuting, told the court Wisdom was stopped in his car at about 5.30pm on January 6.

He said: "Police officers were on mobile patrol in Eastbourne when they saw a vehicle being driven by the defendant.

"He was driving a Ford Granada along Pevensey Bay Road and police stopped the car and spoke to the driver.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"One of the officers approached the vehicle and he smelled what he believed was cannabis.

"He said, 'Have you got any gear with you?'. Wisdom replied, 'No, but you can go and have a look if you want to'. A search of the car was made and a white plastic carrier bag was found behind the rear light housing of the vehicle.

"It contained a small amount of green herbal cannabis. It was shown to the defendant and he was asked what it was. He said, 'Oh, you've found my personal'."

Police arrested Wisdom and during a further search of the car found 820 in the glove compartment. They also found 6000 in a large bundle of bank notes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Wisdom was taken to Eastbourne Police Station where he was found to be in possession of 545 - making a total of 7,365.

Mr Fletcher went on: "Police also found a contract that showed he had a form of tenancy of a garage in Bexhill.

"That garage was searched and police found a cardboard box containing bales of blocks of cannabis resin.

"They also found equipment associated with drugs production. They found a plastic jiffy bag containing a white powder and a passport in his name.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The Crown would say that these are important items in his possession and therefore one would assume he would look after them carefully.

"A log book in relation to a vehicle and a second log book in relation to the vehicle he was stopped in were found along with a plastic bag containing some further resinous substance believed to be cannabis.

"A quantity of cash was found in or on a display cabinet - about 3,000. The total in the car and on him was about 10,000.

"The police went back to his vehicle and searched more thoroughly and found seven mobile phones, some of which were ringing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"These were seized and so were the keys to the garage which he had rented some while beforehand. The manager to the garage also had a key."

The court heard that 396 brown bars and 26.1 grammes of white powder were sent off for analysis and confirmed to be cannabis and cocaine with an estimated total street value of 201,000.

Wisdom made no comment in interview and denies possession of class A and B drugs with intent to supply.

He claims the money found was winnings from gambling and he allowed boxes to be stored in his garage but was unaware of what was inside them.

The trial continues.