Social worker faces jail for £500,000 drug courier job

A Lancashire social worker caught driving to Scotland with a large amount of cannabis resin in her car boot faces jail, a judge has warned.

Kirsty Watson, 24, who worked with children and young people at Lancashire council, was stopped by police in Fife with 100kg of cannabis resin packed in boxes in the back of her vehicle.

She admitted being involved in the supply of what police estimated was £500,000 worth of the Class B drug at the High Court in Edinburgh and is awaiting sentence later this month.

Watson, from Preston, who lost her job as a result of the arrest last May, told the court that she was “shocked” when drug squad detectives moved in on her car.

She claimed she believed she was moving a large amount of money from illegal activity. She said she was to be paid £500 for the delivery, as well as petrol money.

Watson told the court that she had been put in “a difficult situation financially”. She was asked why she had agreed to carry out the delivery and replied: “Because I was stupid.”

She said a mutual friend had contacted her and asked her if she could move some money for Mohammed Nurien, who she had met the previous month at a bar in Manchester.

Nurien, who had packed Watson’s car with the boxes, was found guilty of supplying cannabis in May last year.

Advocate depute (Scottish public prosecutor) Adrian Cottam told the court police had received information that a delivery of drugs was to be made in Dunfermline from England.

He said 400 bars of cannabis resin, stamped with the word “Magic”, were recovered from the boxes found in Watson’s car.

The judge, Lady Stacey, remanded Watson in custody and called for background reports ahead of sentencing later this month. She said she must consider a jail sentence given the value and amount of drugs involved in the case.