THE man alleged to be at the heart of a £22,000 cocaine smuggling operation says that he was just a drugs mule sent to pick up a delivery of prescription drugs.

Richard McCann (39) has told jurors that co-accused Leon Gocoul (29) and Bruce Gallichan (54) were the main men behind the plan to conceal around ten ounces of the drug in a specially made picture frame and courier it to Jersey. On the third day of his Assize trial McCann said that he was offered £350 by an unnamed man to pick up a package of Viagra and valium from Gallichan’s address. A mobile phone seized at the time of his arrest – labelled the ‘dirty drugs’ phone by the prosecution – was given to him one hour before the pick-up, he said. McCann claimed that he had no idea who had sent incriminating text messages from the phone to Gocoul, who was in the UK preparing to post the consignment. Prosecution and the defence have both now summed up their evidence to the jury. They will reconvene today to hear Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith’s comments before they retire to make their final decision.