A 27-year-old man has been jailed after police found him in possession of £1 million of cocaine - hidden inside a bag for life.
The man was pulled over by police, who said he was 'visibly shaking' as they stopped his car.
After searching his car, officers found a bag for life containing 10kgs worth of cocaine - a Class A drug with an estimated street value of £1 million.
Merseyside Police explained that on Saturday 8 January, officers stopped a black Volkswagen on Heysham Road in the Netherton area of Sefton, which was being driven by 27-year-old John Butler, of Clements Way in Tower Hill.
Police said Butler appeared to be quite nervous when speaking to officers.
After the vehicle was stopped, police confirmed that officers conducted a search of the car and subsequently found a bag for life – which appears to have been an insulated bag, as per the shared image – concealing a large amount of the Class A drug cocaine.
The drugs seized from Butler’s vehicle were examined by Merseyside Police who then estimated their relevant street value.
Butler was then arrested, charged, and remanded in custody.
On Tuesday 8 February, Butler was jailed for eight years at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
Speaking on the incident and the sentence handed down, Detective Inspector Furlong from Merseyside Police said: “We welcome the significant sentence handed down to Butler which shows that we simply will not tolerate those who put our communities at significant risk by supplying drugs and the misery they bring.
“Thanks to the work of our officers, a significant quantity of drugs can no longer cause fear and harm on the streets of Merseyside.
“Every time our officers disrupt the activity of criminals by arresting suspects and seizing illicit drugs and cash, it removes their ability to cause further harm and to use the misery of others to line their pockets.
“Remember that every time someone buys drugs from criminals they are fuelling an illicit business that directly impacts the safety of people in our communities [and] I would urge anyone aware of drug dealing in their area to let us know so that we can take the direct action we have taken today, and improve the quality of life for people right across Merseyside.”
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
14th February 2022 
