Man tricked his dad into transporting 20kg drug haul because he was 'too tired' to drive

A man duped his dad into transporting drugs in a van without his knowledge because he was ‘too tired’ to drive.

Matthew Denton appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday (April 13) after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to supply amphetamines, and one count of possession of cocaine.

The court heard that at 10.15am on March 15, police stopped a Ford van driven by Denton’s dad near to the Lymm motorway services on the M6, with Denton in the front passenger seat.

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Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said: “Police found what was described as a garden sack style bag in the centre of the van containing a significant amount of white powder belonging to Mr Denton. It was analysed and found to be around 20 kilograms of amphetamines.

“The subsequent search of his home at Uppingham, Skelmersdale, found a small amount of cocaine consistent with personal use. He was arrested and interviewed where he told officers he had been put in touch with somebody who arranged for him to collect and transport the bag of drugs.”

Denton, 31, admitted to being a Class A drug user, and said this was how he came into contact with the unknown person. He accessed his dad's van using keys that had been left in a shared space in their family home, and placed the bag in the vehicle, the ECHO reports.

He said he was then instructed to deliver the bag to a petrol station on the A500 at Stoke in return for a payment of £500. Mr Blasbery detailed that when Denton woke up on the morning he was expected to deliver the drugs, he was too tired to drive so asked his dad to drive under the guise of looking at a car.

The court heard it was very quickly determined by police that