A FORMER soldier caught on the M6 near Penrith with illegal drugs worth more than £60,000 has been jailed.

Dale McVay, 32, was driving northwards past Penrith on January 27, 2022, when police stopped his Audi and quizzed him about packages found in his vehicle, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

His initial response was to claim that he was transporting boxes of hair product, linked to his work.

But when police checked what was in the boxes they found they contained a total of 22,500 Pregabalin tablets. In a further search of the car, police found more drugs hidden beneath the fold-down rear seat, the court heard.

They consisted around 4,000 more pills, mainly of MDMA or Ecstasy.

The police also seized two telephones – one on the defendant’s person and one on the passenger seat. An analysis of one of the phones revealed evidence of the defendant’s dealing.

This was mostly in the form of “text flares,” sent out to 36 known drug users.  “There were only 40 contacts in the phone, and it appears that this was a burner phone,” said prosecutor Brendan Burke, outlining the facts.

“It was used almost exclusively for sending bulk messages to customers. The messages include ones such as “Back on with the best stuff.”

There were also references to adulterated cocaine.

According to a police expert, the potential street value of the drugs was between £51,000 and £62,000, said Mr Burke. The messages suggested that there was a ready market available for the drugs being transported by the defendant.

Rachel White, defending, said the background included the defendant losing his job and experiencing personal difficulties. He had accumulated a drugs debt but he had not shared that information with his partner, said the barrister.

A former soldier, who had served with an infantry regiment for four years, his most recent employer held McVay in high esteem.

The barrister said: “He has tried to make changes and he has stayed out of trouble and showed genuine remorse." The barrister referred to the defendant’s “traumatic childhood” and said he had not been in any comparable trouble before.

“This will be his first prison sentence,” said Miss White. “He understands the consequences of this offending because of his own personal history.”

McVay, of St Matthew Street, Burnley, Manchester, admitted possessing the two drugs found in his car – MDMA and Pregabalin – with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

Judge Michael Fanning told the defendant that it was to his credit that he had joined the Army and served his country, describing him as an "intelligent, hard-working man."

But when his career plans after that service went wrong, McVay has resorted to drugs, no doubt because he had been aware of them throughout his life.

"You fell into the wrong crowd," said the judge.

"A lot of people were adversely affected by the pandemic; I know plenty who were. People lost their jobs, had their lives turned upside down. But not many of them turned to drug dealing. Yes, you have debts.

"Some are related to drugs."

"You wanted to keep up appearances; you wanted to keep your flash Audi even though you could not afford to have it.  You put your personal financial needs above the impact on those who take those drugs."

Judge Fanning jailed McVay for six years.