A drugs courier was apprehended with over 6kg of cannabis valued at up to £49,000 after travelling from Surrey to Wales to collect the illicit substance. The 32-year-old courier, Neritan Nika, was intercepted by police on the M4 near Briton Ferry on July 4. Intelligence had indicated he was in possession of drugs. Upon approaching Nika’s silver Audi, officers detected a strong odour of cannabis. Nika was seated in the driver’s position with his cousin in the passenger seat.
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of multiple vacuum-packed bags of cannabis and the seizure of several iPhones. Prosecutor Hannah Meredith revealed that a total of 6.32kg of cannabis was confiscated, with an estimated value ranging from £22,000 to £49,000. During police questioning, Nika confessed to driving up from Surrey the previous day to collect the drugs before heading back towards London when he was intercepted. He admitted to this being his first time transporting drugs.
Nika, residing in Walton on the Hill, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis during a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court. Despite having a clean record apart from one caution, Nika was sentenced to 20 weeks’ imprisonment. Owing to his time spent on remand, he will be immediately released. Judge Niclas Parry remarked on the severity of Nika’s offence, stating, “You took a risk and you paid a heavy price. This was a very significant amount of drugs worth thousands and thousands of pounds, and you travelled a very long way to collect them.”