A 47-year-old man is facing a jail sentence of up eight years after he admitted being involved in a £1 million conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Stephen Jones, of Sir Evelyn Road, Rochester, admitted the offence when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court.

The court heard the amount of drugs imported in the consignment was 1.19 tonnes, valued at between three-quarters of a million and £1.2 million pounds.

Defence barrister Craig Rush said Jones had been employed as the driver/gopher and had gone to collect the lorry containing the cannabis which had already been intercepted and the drugs removed.

Prosecutor, Sean Larkin, accepted the defendant’s basis of plea, agreeing that Jones was at the “bottom of the pile” as far as those involved was concerned.

After Jones, who works as an international lorry driver, pleaded guilty to the offence between 25 June and 3 July 2003, Mr Rush asked that sentence be adjourned until in order that the defendant could say his goodbyes to his wife and inform his employers.

Mr Recorder Peter Digney said he would take into account that the defendant had pleaded guilty and saved a lot of court time when he passed sentence.

The case was adjourned for sentence and a confiscation hearing to November 4 and Jones was bailed on condition he surrender his passport.