Briton found with drugs and a lamb named Pablo in his car avoids prison

The key facts

Police stopped the car on the M74 in Glasgow on 22 April 2023; inside were a lamb eating crisps and £14,000 worth of drugs
The accused claimed they had rescued the lamb from the road; the jury found them guilty of possessing heroin and diamorphine with intent to supply
McNeil received 300 hours of unpaid work and a curfew from 20:00 to 05:00; a warrant was issued for his companion's arrest

Sentence in the lamb and drugs case

John McNeil, 56, from North Ayrshire, who was stopped in April 2023 in a car containing £14,000 worth of drugs and a lamb on the back seat, has avoided a prison sentence. According to BBC News, Sheriff Tony Kelly ordered him to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and wear an electronic tag for six months, during which McNeil must remain at home between 20:00 and 05:00. The sheriff noted that, as far as he was aware, the risk of reoffending was low.

What happened on the M74

Police stopped Lindsay Sangster's car on the M74 in Glasgow on 22 April 2023; in the vehicle were Sangster, McNeil and another man. During an initial search, a glass tube was recovered from the driver's door pocket, along with items from McNeil and the third passenger. Later, a police dog named Billy discovered two packages under the front passenger seat of the Volkswagen Golf containing cocaine worth £4,640 and heroin worth £10,050; the cocaine was at least 76% pure. According to agreed facts, officers considered the quantity recovered excessive for personal use, indicating supply.

A lamb named Pablo

A separate detail of the case was a lamb named Pablo — after the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Sergeant Nick Twig told jurors that, when asked where the animal came from, McNeil replied that Sangster was a 'trainee shepherdess'; there was no evidence of this, and at the time the lamb was eating a bag of crisps left on the back seat. The accused claimed they had picked Pablo up in the middle of the road on the way from Edinburgh to their home in Ayrshire, believed he was dehydrated, and planned to return him to his owner using the tags on his ears. McNeil also stated that he had experience working with animals, helping his father, a retired agricultural contractor.

The lamb's fate and the other defendants

Pablo belonged to North Lanrigg farm in Motherwell, owned by farmer Kirsty Marr; according to agreed facts, she had not given permission for the lamb to be taken. A charge of appropriation of found property was dropped during the proceedings, as no theft report had been filed at that point. The lamb was placed on a farm in Ayrshire for 48–72 hours, after which it was returned to Marr — she said it was in excellent condition and happy with its 'new lamb friends'. Both accused were found guilty in September of possessing heroin and diamorphine with intent to supply, and denied knowledge of the drugs in the car. Sangster, who had been driving under the influence of drugs, had earlier pleaded guilty in a separate case and received an 18-month driving ban and 100 hours of unpaid work. She failed to appear at McNeil's sentencing, and the court issued a warrant for her arrest. Defence solicitor Bronwyn Moore said her client now runs a team at a construction company and, at the time of his arrest, was 'at the peak of his addiction'.