Caught with $20,000 worth of drugs and a lamb that ate chips: the surprising punishment

A 56-year-old Scottish man was caught with heroin and cocaine worth about $20,000 in his car, alongside a lamb that ate chips. The judge ruled that the offenses warrant imprisonment but settled for community service and electronic tagging.

A 56-year-old Scottish man, John McNeil, was caught in April 2023 on the M74 motorway near Glasgow with heroin worth about $13,500 and cocaine worth about $6,200 in his car, alongside a young lamb eating chips in the back seat. McNeil claimed his partner was a 'trainee shepherdess,' but police found no evidence to support this. The two were convicted of drug possession with intent to supply. Judge Tony Kelly ruled that the offenses warrant imprisonment but took into account the time elapsed and professional assessments indicating a low risk of reoffending, sentencing McNeil to 300 hours of community service and six months of electronic tagging with a nightly curfew. The lamb, named Pablo after drug lord Pablo Escobar, was returned to the farm after two or three days. McNeil's ex-partner, Lindsay Sangster, failed to appear for her sentencing hearing, and the court issued a warrant for her arrest.