A drug dealer is set to miss the birth of his first child after police caught him trying to transport a block of crack cocaine from Liverpool to Scotland.
Andrew Graham hid the Class A drugs in the wheel arch of his car as he tried to ferry it out of Merseyside but officers found it after conducting a search of his car. They also found he and another man in the car, Justin Richmond, were dealing cannabis.
Nick Cockrell, prosecuting, said police stopped the car as it was heading out of the city on November 7, 2020, and found both him and Richmond, as well as two other men, in possession of cannabis. He said police then conducted a search of the car, which Graham was driving, and found 107g of crack cocaine. Mr Cockrell said: “Police recovered, from what appears to be a hidden compartment behind the vehicle’s left wheel arch, a substance which upon analysis was found to be crack cocaine.”
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Graham and Richmond’s phones were seized and it then emerged both had been dealing cannabis on a low level for the preceding two months. Both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs and possession of cannabis while Graham also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
Ian Morris, defending Graham, said the 21-year-old had struggled in recent years with a number of upheavals in his personal life and had found himself using and dealing drugs. He appealed to the judge, David Swinnerton, to bear in mind that Graham’s partner is due to give birth to his first child later this year. Mr Morris said it was inevitable that Graham would be in custody then and that would undoubtedly have an effect on his partner and their baby.
Mr Morris said: “He accepts the consequences of his actions but they are grave consequences for him. It is not his child’s fault, it is not the mother of his child’s fault, but they are the people who get left behind in cases like this.” While the police search occurred at the end of 2020, Graham and Richmond, both of North Ayrshire, were bailed and Graham later committed a number of other offences and eventually asked to be remanded in custody.
Brian Russell, defending Richmond, said he was only 17 at the time of the search and now had a stable job and had not committed any further offences. Pointing to this, Mr Russell said: “He has learned a salutary lesson. I think your honour can be satisfied that he will not be offending in the future.”
Graham, of Tiree Court, Dreghorn, was jailed for three years and two months. Richmond, of Annick Drive, Dreghorn, was handed a six month jail term, suspended for 12 months. He must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay prosecution costs.
