A father-of-one who kept nearly a million pounds worth of drugs in his home and an industrial unit has been jailed.

Police stopped Sam Andrew Barnes, 27, at the wheel of a silver BMW containing a “substantial amount” of amphetamine on the westbound carriageway of the A64 near Tadcaster on May 13, Stephen Thornton, prosecuting, told York Crown Court.

Detectives made a series of searches and found 23kg of the Class B drug in the car, in his family’s home and in an industrial unit he rented.

They also found scales and other drug paraphernalia.

If cut up and sold on the streets, the amphetamine would fetch £900,000, said the barrister.

Barnes, of Calf Close, Haxby, pleaded guilty to possessing amphetamine with intent to supply it to others on the basis he had been acting as a custodian for others higher up in the drug supply chain.

“This was no doubt a large scale and no doubt sophisticated operation dealing in amphetamine,” said Judge Guy Kearl QC.

“You must have had some awareness and understanding of the scale of this operation, given that it was on any view for drugs valued at just under a million pounds”.

He added that Barnes had also sold some of the drug on a small scale to support his own drug habit.

He jailed Barnes for three and a half years.

For Barnes, Michael Smith said he had been getting drugs for his own use and he was “prevailed on with some threats” to act as warehouseman.

He thought he would only have to look after them for a short period, but the length of time turned into weeks, rather longer than he had expected.

His arrest had come about through a “weak link” in the chain of drug supply.

The barrister said that Barnes’ employment “may have led in part” to him getting involved in drugs, but did not say what the employment had been.

Mr Thornton said Barnes had been the only person in the BMW when it was stopped and its back seats were down. In addition to the drugs he had £260 in cash, and at his home, he also had £1,770 in cash.

The prosecution has started asset confiscation proceedings against Barnes, and he will return to court later to learn which of his assets he must lose.