Former soldier Paul Barrett was stopped by customs officers as he collected his luggage from the carousel at Newcastle Airport after arriving on a Jet2 flight from Faro on May 4.
When challenged, Barrett, who has previous convictions including possessing cocaine with intent to supply, admitted he had "some weed" and said he had racked up debts from cocaine and gambling addictions.
Drugs found in suitcase
Customs officers searched his suitcase and found four packages containing 20.5kg of cannabis resin and another package with 1.12kg of ketamine. The wholesale value of the drugs was £80,000, but they would have been worth much more when broken down into deals.
Neil Jones, prosecuting, said: "He confirmed he was a solo traveller and all of the bags were his own. Asked if he had packed them, he said he had not packed the suitcase, which had been given to him. Asked about its contents, he said 'I'm going to be honest with you, I'm carrying some weed. I've got a debt I owe."
Barrett gave a prepared statement saying he was an army veteran who had PTSD and said he had cocaine and gambling addictions which had taken hold of him since he left the army.
Previous convictions
Barrett, 38, from Ormskirk, Lancashire, has 18 previous convictions, including for possessing cocaine with intent to supply, for which he received a suspended sentence in 2023. He also has convictions for being concerned in the supply of ketamine, possessing cocaine and drug driving.
For the latest offending, he pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the fraudulent evasion on the prohibition on the importation of cannabis and ketamine.
One last chance
Chris Knox, defending, said: "He understands what a mess he has made by getting involved in drugs. He very much gets the message and he understands almost all of his difficulties in relation to the courts have arisen from his involvement with drugs. He is desperate to get back to the care of his children and he has a job offer and the employment involves him being subjected to drug tests."
Judge Sarah Mallet told Barrett she would give him "one last chance" and sentenced him to 18 months suspended for two years with 100 hours of unpaid work.
Barrett, appearing in court on a video-link from prison, said: "Thank your for the opportunity ma'am and I won't let you down. I'm thinking of my children." After being told he would be released, he was heard shouting "get in there" as he left the video-link room.
