A drug dealer caught after hay bales packed with more than £1.2 million worth of cannabis fell from a horse box was jailed yesterday.
Nathan Greene, from Drumaknockan Lane in Hillsborough, was handed a nine month sentence after pleading guilty to possession of a Class B controlled drug with intent to supply.
The 34-year-old was told, at Downpatrick Crown Court, that he must also serve nine months on licence. Police arrested Greene in follow-up searches after the bales came lose from the horse box as it was towed along the M1 near Belfast in 2020.
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Reacting to the sentencing, detectives from the PSNI’s Organised Crime Unit said it sends a “clear message” to others thinking of getting involved in drug dealing.
The PSNI investigation was sparked by an incident in October 2020, in which an insecure load of hay bales fell from a horsebox being driven on the M1, near the Blacks Road Junction.
Detective Inspector Shaw said: “The horsebox, being driven on the M1 in Belfast, shed its load on the morning of 3 October 2020. It’s believed that the driver - Nathan Greene - temporarily stopped to secure some bales before promptly leaving the scene.
“Cannabis, with an estimated street value of approximately £1.24 million, was found hidden inside the bales that had fallen.
“As part of the investigation, detectives from our Organised Crime Unit searched a number of properties in County Down and subsequently arrested the defendant.”
Detective Inspector Shaw added: “Through Operation Dealbreaker, and with the support of partner organisations, we are committed to tackling the supply, use and harm caused by illegal drugs. Drug dealers don’t care about individuals and communities, or the lives and relationships that get destroyed along the way. Their interest is purely with lining their own pockets.
“I hope that today’s sentencing sends out a clear message to those who think they can profit at the expense of others.”
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