A WOMAN had more than £5,000 of heroin and crack cocaine hidden in a child’s lunchbox as she drove along the York Outer Ring Road, the city's crown court heard.

When police pulled Charley Nicole Crawford Craig, 28, over they smelt cannabis in her car, said Andrea Parnham, prosecuting.

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She handed over two bags of the Class B drug. They arrested her and said they would search her car.

Then she revealed that there was “something” in the lunchbox in the child’s back pack in the car but “she didn’t know what it was”.

Inside the box under some sandwiches police found a bag of heroin and a bag of crack cocaine.

Together the drugs in the lunchbox were worth more than £5,000 and they were all high purity.

Craig, of Borrowdale Crescent, Leeds, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, being concerned in the supply of heroin and possession of cannabis. She had no previous convictions.

Judge Simon Hickey said it was an “unusual” case.

After reading documents about her, he said Craig had an “impeccable” character and that she had been low down in the drug supply line.

“People further up the line are extremely dangerous people and you were no doubt pressurised into doing what you did,” he told her. “You were transporting (drugs) once and once only.”

She had “disguised” what she was doing through the contents of her car.

He said usually those involved in drug dealing went to jail, but because of the “unusual” circumstances of her offences and other matters including her family situation, he was able to suspend the prison sentence.

He gave her a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months on condition she does 150 hours’ unpaid work.

Defence barrister Eddison Flint said Craig had not offended in the two and a half years since she was stopped.

The court case had caused her a “lot of stress” but she had the chance of a job.

He gave no further mitigation after the judge indicated he would suspend the prison sentence.

Ms Parnham said one bag found in the lunchbox had 209 smaller bags containing heroin. Together they weighed 22.2g, the drug had 74 per cent purity and was worth £2,900.

The other bag contained 300 smaller bags of crack cocaine. Together they weighed 19.1g, the drug had 85 per cent purity and was worth £3,000.

The two bags of cannabis were valued by police at £30.

Altogether the drugs in the car driven by Craig were worth £5,120.

Ms Parnham said Craig was pulled over near the A64/A19 Fulford Road junction on November 19, 2019.

Her case was delayed by the pandemic.

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