A SMUGGLING who brought ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis into the county has been jailed for 10 years.

Robert Barry, 51, of Callington Road, Brislington, Bristol appeared at Canterbury Crown Court where he admitted four smuggling charges and two further offences of possessing drugs with intent to supply and one allegation of possession.

The drugs were found hidden in Barry’s four wheel drive when he was stopped at the inbound car hall at Ramsgate docks last December.

Packages were hidden behind the bonnet lining and customs recovered over 16,000 ecstacy tablets.

There was also 115g of pure cocaine, 400g of cannabis resin and 3.13g of herbal cannabis.

When Barry’s home in Bristol was searched, small quantities of cannabis and cocaine were found in the house and more drugs found in a landrover in a locked garage.

Barry had admitted possessing 275.5g of pure cocaine and 33373.9g of cannabis with intent to supply and possessing 70mg of pure amphetamine.

A quantity of cocaine was found in a locked safe and they also found a range of controlled drugs.

Bob Colover, for Barry, said Barry’s bank account was overdrawn and he lived in a rented flat with few assets.

The strength of the ecstasy pills was not great and he asked the court to sentence Barry as a courier seeking to raise money.

He said: "When one looks at what was found at Ramsgate and in his house, there is no evidence of dealing from the house, no statements from people taking part in test purchases from the house and no ecstasy pills were found at the house or the garage.

"That is strong evidence that here is a man misguidedly trying to raise money to maintain a marginal lifestyle and who succumbed to the temptations as a courier. There is nothing to prove he was anything more than a courier."