Man caught with almost £50k of drugs after crashing on M1 between Toddington and Brogborough
A man has admitted to having almost £50,000 worth of cannabis and cannabis-infused gummies after he was arrested on the M1.
Reuben Parker, aged 23, and of Vicarage Farm Road, Peterborough, was caught after a crash on the southbound carriageway between junctions 12 and 13 on July 24.
Officers from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit found a substantial quantity of drugs, including multiple packets of cannabis gummies, packaged to look like children’s sweets.
Detective Sergeant Ben Dunckley said: “This was a substantial quantity of drugs that have been taken off the streets and it serves as an important reminder to everyone of the dangers of cannabis edibles.
Telltale signs to look for on the packets are slightly different spellings of the product name, along with altered or fake logos. They are also likely to have information about how strong the cannabis content is.
Drug-infused sweets can be dangerous to anyone. It can be difficult to know the strength and exact contents of edibles purchased. It is also likely that the products may contain other chemicals than cannabis.
The effect of consuming edibles takes longer than smoking cannabis. This can lead to young people thinking that it hasn’t worked and consuming more which risks overdosing. In addition, the effects can be more intense and take longer to wear off.
“Parker had gone to considerable effort to make these sweets look as close to the real thing. We are urging parents to be vigilant and be aware of what your children are buying or receiving from others.
“We are advising parents to be aware of what ‘sweets’ their children may have in their bedrooms and bags.”
Parker was also charged with driving without insurance and driving a vehicle on an invalid license. He is due to be sentenced in September.