A carer turned drugs courier was caught with more than 6kg of heroin in the boot of her car.
Claire Dooley became involved in transporting illicit class A substances and dirty cash on behalf of a gang in order to pay off her ex's cannabis debt.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Monday, that police saw the 43-year-old's black Audi Q3 stop outside a house on Petherick Road in Croxteth at around 3.30pm on October 13 this year. Joanne Cronshaw, prosecuting, described how co-defendant Patrick Campbell walked out of the address with a white carrier bag and placed it in the truck - taking out a green carrier bag.
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Dooley, of Brunswick Street in Garston, drove off onto the M57 before being stopped on the Knowsley Expressway. The bag was found to contain a number of brown parcels, later revealed to be 6.69kg of heroin of around 40% purity.
A search of her home revealed £3,000 in cash and a small quantity of cannabis for personal use. Officers returned to the property on Petherick Road and had to force entry after 29-year-old Campbell refused to open the door.
They discovered that the green bag contained £12,000, while another 3.12kg of heroin had been stashed in a black bag in a wardrobe. Dooley said under interview that she had been recruited by an organised crime group to pay off her former partner's debt, and would receive £1,000 for the exchange.
After "bumping into a man by chance", she agreed to have the monies planted in her boot and to drive to an address. Here, the care worker would pick up the drugs and return - although she believed she would be transporting cannabis.
Dooley, who appeared via video link to HMP Styal, has two previous convictions for four offences. She admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of cannabis.
John Rowan, defending, said: "This is offending completely out of character for this lady, effectively on impulse - a moment of madness.
"This is a lady who has made a massive, massive mistake and is now going to bear heavy the consequences of that. She is a lady whom for many years has been a carer, not only employed as a carer - working throughout covid, working very hard and putting herself at risk - but also being a primary carer for her brother, who has significant health issues.
"She is a very diligent, hard-working woman. She is a lady described as having a big heart.
"She wants the court to know how disappointed and ashamed she is at finding herself before the court at her age for serious offending."
Dad Patrick Campbell, of no fixed address, has two previous convictions for six offences. Julian Nutter, defending, said: "There are small children and he will miss them.
"He did confess his crime to the police. He has done everything he can to bring this case forward and has faced this case with his jaw sticking out like a man."
Judge Neil Flewitt KC jailed Dooley for four years. Campbell, who appeared in court via video link to HMP Altcourse, admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of criminal property and was handed seven years and eight months.
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