October 22, 2021 1.50 pm This story is over 28 months old

Ex-farm worker caught posting £13k of cannabis via Royal Mail in Lincoln and Boston

Post office staff sniffed him out

A man has been caught using the Royal Mail to distribute thousands of pounds worth of cannabis to addresses across the country, Lincoln Crown Court was told.

Julius Serva attempted to post 13 packages at the Bailgate Post Office in uphill Lincoln but staff alerted police after becoming concerned due to the smell from the items.

Philip Plant, prosecuting, said Serva was arrested and the subsequent investigation revealed he posted 43 packages at the Eastwood Road Post Office in Boston earlier the same day before travelling to Lincoln.

The Boston packages contained a combined total of 1.2kgs of cannabis with a street sale value of up to £12,000. The Lincoln packages contained 182gs of the drug which was potentially worth up to £1,500.

When Serva was interviewed he said he had been asked to post the packages by a friend of a friend and initially believed they contained computer parts but subsequently realised it was cannabis and continued with the task.

Mr Plant said: “He said he was requested to do this for £30. That is nonsense. The postage would have cost him £100.”

Serva, 34, of Walden Gardens, Boston, admitted two charges of possession of drugs with intent to supply as a result of the incidents in July 2020.

He was given a 12-month jail sentence suspended for two years with up to 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Judge Simon Hirst told him: “This was effectively supplying direct to users. You plainly had an awareness of the size of the operation.”

Neil Sands, in mitigation, said that Serva, who was born in Lithuania, came to the UK in 2006 and had no convictions in the past decade.

Mr Sands said: “He had been employed as a farm worker but injured his elbow and was unable to work. He found himself completely without income and he fell behind with his rent. He was offered this opportunity and took it.”