Man behind bars caught with 1.2kg of weed telling police he found the haul on side of road

A 41-year-old man has been jailed after he was caught with 1.2kg of cannabis hidden in his car, which he told police he had found on the side of the road. Denham Gary John Richardson on November 16 appeared in Albany District Court, where he pleaded guilty to possessing about 1.2kg of cannabis with intent to sell. Richardson received an immediate jail term of 11 months. State prosecutor Shaban Azad told the court that on December 2 last year, Richardson was stopped by police at the BP roadhouse in Williams. “The offender was the driver and sole occupant of a Holden Astra hatchback,” she said. “The vehicle was stopped by police at the BP roadhouse on Albany Highway in Williams. “The offender declared to the officers that there was a large amount of cannabis in a black backpack in the front passenger footwell.” In a police interview at Narrogin police station, Richardson admitted he intended to sell the cannabis once he returned to Katanning, Mr Azad told the court. Defence counsel Wendy Stewart said her client had committed no further offences after December 2. She said Richardson had lied to police. “He was untruthful with officers when he informed them he had found the bags of cannabis on the side of the road,” she said. Ms Stewart said Richardson had made changes to his life this year and was seeking a suspended prison sentence. Judge David MacLean said Richardson was prepared to distribute a significant amount of cannabis into the community. “You were acting as a courier, it seems ... and you were doing so for profit, and that’s what makes your offending particularly serious,” he said. “The offending is too serious for it to be dealt with by any other way other than a term of imprisonment.” Mr MacLean said it was not appropriate to suspend the term of imprisonment. “It does also need to stand as a signal to others that embarking upon a one-off opportunity to make some quick money, if you’re caught, you could be expected to be immediately imprisoned,” he said.