A drugs courier has been jailed for two years for his role in an 'evil trade' after being caught bringing cocaine into Norwich on the A11.

Father of two Jowayne Bonnie, 27, was driving an Audi A5 towards the city at the Thickthorn roundabout on October 26 when police stopped him at a lay by.

A smell of cannabis led police to conduct drug wipes, and Bonnie's passenger, 33-year-old Dan Merchant, was arrested after being found with a knife and three Stanley blades wrapped in cling film.

Merchant was jailed for 10 months in February for two counts of possession of a bladed article.

Prosecutor Nicola May told Norwich Crown Court officers secured a warrant to search Bonnie's car shortly after his arrest.

'A drugs dog assisted and within a cavity of the boot wall was a large block of cocaine,' she said. 'It was 62 grams with a street value of £60 to £90 per gram.

'The defendant initially denied knowing anything about the drugs. His fingerprints were found on the inside of the cling film wrap containing the block of drugs.'

Danielle O'Donovan, mitigating for Bonnie, said he believed he had been transporting cannabis, not cocaine.

'He owed his cannabis dealer some £600 and was offered the opportunity to reduce that debt,' she told the court.

'He has now been able to secure work as a courier, driving various items around London on an ad hoc basis for around £70 a day.

'He is a man who is perhaps now coming of age and maturity at 27. He is aware continuing to engage with people who supply drugs puts him at risk of offences of this nature.

'This is not something he wants to be involved in.'

Judge Anthony Bate jailed Bonnie for two years for possession of cocaine with intent to supply. He was given no separate penalty for driving without insurance, and one month each for two counts of possession of cannabis, to run concurrently.

'It is clear you have some knowledge and connection to the world of Class A drug dealing,' he told Bonnie. 'You were the one running the risk to Norwich, in a car registered to you and all too easy to trace. Had you been significantly higher up the chain you would not have been running those risks in the field.

'There has to be a deterrence to make it clear those who play any part in this evil trade are punished accordingly.'