Police Dog Finds Over £14,000 Worth of Heroin and Cocaine as Lamb Eats Chips in Car

A police dog uncovered £14,690 ($19,700) worth of heroin and cocaine hidden beneath the front passenger seat of a car stopped on the M74 in Glasgow, while a lamb named Pablo ate chips in the back. The Volkswagen Golf was stopped on 22 April 2023 after Sergeant Nick Twigg noticed the animal.

The dog, PD Billy, searched the vehicle and indicated the presence of drugs. Officers subsequently found two bags containing cocaine and diamorphine. Passenger John McNeil, 56, later told Twigg that the driver, Lindsey Sangster, was a 'trainee shepherdess' when asked about the lamb.

McNeil has now avoided an immediate prison sentence after being convicted of possessing the Class A drugs with intent to supply. At Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday, 2 November 2026, he was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and serve a six-month electronically monitored curfew.

Police Dog Billy Finds £14,690 of Drugs

Police stopped the car on the M74 near Junction 3 at about 6:10pm. Twigg told the court he had noticed the lamb in the back before the vehicle was taken to a police station for a search.

PD Billy indicated that drugs were concealed beneath the front passenger seat, where officers subsequently found two bags. These contained cocaine worth £4,640 ($6,200) and heroin valued at £10,050 ($13,480). The cocaine had a purity of at least 76 per cent, bringing the combined value of the drugs to £14,690.

Evidence presented in court established that the quantity was excessive for personal use and indicated an intention to supply. Twigg also described Pablo eating from an open bag of chips on the back seat.

Lamb Pablo Was Taken Without Owner's Permission

Pablo belonged to North Lanrigg Farm in Motherwell, owned by Kirsty Mair. Evidence presented at trial established that Mair had not given permission for the lamb to be taken.

McNeil told the court the group had found the animal in a dangerous position on the road while travelling home to Ayrshire from Edinburgh. He said they intended to return it to its owner. Both McNeil and Sangster denied knowing the drugs were in the car.

The Crown dropped a charge of resetting the lamb during the trial because there had been no reported theft at the time. Pablo was cared for at an Ayrshire farm for between 48 and 72 hours before being returned to Mair.

McNeil Ordered To Complete 300 Hours of Unpaid Work

McNeil and Sangster were found guilty in September 2026 of possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply. Sangster had separately pleaded guilty to driving while impaired by drugs and received an 18-month driving ban and 100 hours of unpaid work.

She failed to attend her sentencing hearing on 2 November, prompting Sheriff Tony Kelly to issue a warrant for her arrest.

McNeil's advocate, Bronwyn Moore, told the court he was now a team leader at a construction company. She said he had been living a chaotic lifestyle fuelled by drug misuse and was at the height of his addiction when the offences took place.

Sheriff Kelly said the offences were serious enough to merit custody but decided against immediate imprisonment, taking into account the time that had passed since they were committed, McNeil's low assessed risk of reoffending and the absence of further offences requiring the court's attention.

McNeil must complete 300 hours of unpaid work and remain at home between 8pm and 5am for six months under electronic monitoring.