A drug courier heading to Scotland was caught with a £120,000 haul of cannabis stuffed inside a colourful suitcase. Roland Forsdick initially denied knowing the bag contained the 9kg illegal drugs stash.

But the 33-year-old eventually pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court. The dad was in the passenger seat of a Suzuki car when it was stopped by police on the A1 at Boston Spa.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police discovered a large quantity of drugs in August last year. Prosecutor Robert Galley told Leeds Crown Court on Friday: "In the boot was a significant amount of cannabis in vacuum type bags in a purple or pink suitcase."

The court was told that the potential sale amount of the cannabis was up to £120,000 - with 9kg of it being seized from the car, LeedsLive reports.

Mr Galley said Forsdick's phone was downloaded and officers discovered messages from someone named "Greg" who, on July 7 this year, referred to "taking out a loan for £1,000."

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The prosecutor said: "On another occasion, he offered him £160 to do something. On 30th July he instructed him to take some items to Scotland. The drug liaison officer concluded the 9kg [of cannabis] would likely be due for street level sale. There were packages of small grip-sealed bags.

"It is not suggested this defendant was selling them but they were being sold to someone in Scotland. In interviews he was to say he did not know he was transporting cannabis."

Mr Galley said the only relevant conviction that Forsdick had on his record was one for possession of cocaine in 2017.

An officer from the Probation Service told the court she had spoken with Forsdick who told her he had had an accident at work in February 2022, leaving him out of employment and then latterly, in debt.

She said: "He began to struggle financially and emotionally and was offered an opportunity to pay off some debts by committing the offence. He described it as a 'moment of madness.' He has been remanded into custody since his arrest."

The court heard Forsdick, from Nottinghamshire, has a partner and a two-year-old son, and he has already missed one of his son's birthdays. The officer said: "When he is released, he is determined to obtain employment.

"He has shown good insight into the link between that offending and his mental wellbeing. All he wants is to be able to work."

Mitigating, Jim Littlehales, said Forsdick has already served the equivalent of a six-month sentence while remanded into custody. Recorder Dallas jailed him for 18 months.

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