A Shropshire plumber today spoke of his relief at clearing his name after spending six months behind bars accused of taking part in a £17 million drug smuggling plot.

Former soldier Chris Hopkins, 29, now back home in Newport after his eight-day trial in London, said: “I’m delighted to have been proved an innocent man. All I want to do now is get back to a normal life.”

Mr Hopkins and two co-defendants were acquitted by the jury at Wood Green Crown Court of being involved in the illegal importation of cannabis. All three had denied the charge.

He was arrested at a social club in north London on November 18 after being caught in a police operation.

Officers had been following the trail of four tonnes of cannabis worth £17 million which had arrived at Heathrow Airport from South Africa.

Driver

Police swooped as Mr Hopkins drove away from the club with 14 boxes containing cannabis worth £1.8 million in the back of a borrowed Citroen van.

He told the jury he had been working as a delivery driver and had no idea what was in the boxes.

Mr Hopkins, a single man, grew up in Shrewsbury and went to the Grange School in Harlescott Grange.

He joined the Army at 16, serving with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Bosnia and later qualified as a Corgi-registered gas plumber. He had never been in trouble with police before his arrest.

“I spent three months in Wormwood Scrubs and three months in Pentonville on remand,” he said.

“I just kept my head down and am very pleased that justice was finally done.

“I am a bit bitter and I feel police could have dealt with it better, but things have finally run their course.

“I don’t know yet whether I’ll stay in Newport, there’s no rush to make a decision, but I’m just trying to get things back together after losing six months of my life.”

He added: “I was paid £500 for collecting the boxes. I certainly won’t do anything like that again.”

Mr Hopkins said he wanted to pay tribute to his solicitor, Gregory Burke, of Rogers & Co, Wolverhampton, for doing a “fantastic job”.

Mr Burke said: “To have a Shropshire lad’s liberty returned to him and his character vindicated is a delight.”

By Peter Johnson