POLICE seized cannabis worth thousands of pounds from a prolific offender who had only been out of prison for four months.

Michael Colligan, of Wilderspool, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis.

Prosecuting, Shannon Stewart told the court that on July 4, 2023, police officers observed Colligan enter and leave an address with a yellow JD Sports bag.

The next day, officers attended Colligan’s address and searched the property, locating the yellow bag in the garden shed which contained four packages.

In the first package, 91.5 grams of cannabis was found, with an estimated worth of between £540 and £820.

A large amount of the class B controlled drug was found in the second package, with 110.9 grams worth an estimated £640 to £1,000.

In the final two packages, a combined total of 35.5 grams of cannabis worth between £270 and £360 was recovered.

The court heard that 230.9 grams of cannabis was found in total inside the bag, making the estimated street value between £1,450 and £2,180.

Ms Stewart told the court that drug experts analysed the bag and determined that it ‘contained everything a person would need to sell cannabis’.

Two mobile phones were located inside the property, as well as a piece of paper with figures on it and £10.

One of the mobile phones, a Samsung, contained text messages believed to be related to the sale of drugs, as well as a Snapchat account that listed drugs available to buy.

The court heard that some of the text messages showed that Colligan, who has 25 previous convictions, was working with someone else.

Defending, Daniel Wood told judge Kelly Bond that Colligan was on recall to custody at the time of the offence, and that any sentence should be concurrent.

The 31-year-old had been imprisoned for 26 months after he broke into the home of a mother and daughter, who were themselves in prison at the time, and took their car.

Colligan managed to hop a fence and evade arrest when police came knocking and went on the run for 18 days.

He was released in March but was recalled to prison and remanded in custody.

Judge Bond sentenced Colligan, of Priory Street, to seven months imprisonment, to be served concurrently to the sentence he is already serving.

The drugs, paraphernalia and mobile phones were ordered to be forfeited and destroyed.