A dad who tried to smuggle four kilos of cannabis into Liverpool has walked free from court.
Mark Tazerouti was arrested at Liverpool John Lennon Airport earlier this year after he was found with £40,000 of drugs in a suitcase after he got off a plane from Malaga.
The 32-year-old admitted importing cannabis to help pay off debts to dealers that he had built up due to a £500 a week cocaine habit.
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A judge at Liverpool Crown Court handed him a suspended sentence today.
Joanne Cronshaw, prosecuting, said Tazerouti was stopped by Border Force officers at the airport on October 20 last year, shortly after landing in Liverpool from Malaga. He had tried to leave the baggage claim area but was stopped in the declarations area.
Scans revealed packages in his bag and a later search saw four different packages of cannabis recovered. There was at least 4 kilos in total and it was estimated to have a wholesale value of £14,000 and a street value of £40,000.
Ms Cronshaw said officers asked him why he had the drugs and he replied: “Oh I’m sorry, I hurt my shoulder while I was away and this was the only way I could pay my medical bill.”
Tazerouti was arrested and his mobile was seized. However, he refused to provide police with the pin and they were unable to access the phone. He later pleaded guilty to importing cannabis and fraudulently evading customs restrictions and told probation officers he was bringing in the drugs because he had a significant debt to dealers.
Brendan Carville, defending, said Tazerouti, who has four convictions for possession of drugs, had previously been struggling with depression and had turned to heavy cocaine and cannabis usage, causing him to run up high debts. He said probation officers judge Tazerouti to pose a low risk to the public and urged the judge, Recorder Kate Cornell, not to jail him.
Addressing Tazerouti’s behaviour, Recorder Cornell said she believed he was “acting this way at the direction of others” and added: “You had been drawn in by your use of drugs.” Tazerouti, of Adam Close, was handed a ten month jail term, suspended for 12 months.
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