A woman has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years after for running a cannabis and cocaine dealing operation to fund her lavish lifestyle. anielle Stafford, 29, was jailed at Hull Crown Court after she was caught with £26,917 in cash and drugs with a street value of £33,600.
The court heard how Stafford, of Hallgate, Cottingham, bought a second house and lived without touching any of the salary from her job with Swift Group. Despite claiming in court that that she was the victim of a Liverpool drug dealer, no evidence was provided, reports Hull Live.
She claimed that the expensive items, including nine watches and three expensive Louis Vuitton handbags, found in her home were fakes given to her by family members as gifts from their foreign holidays.
Stafford's operation only came to an end by pure chance, when police spotted her speeding and discovered her phone constantly pinging with up to 20 messages from people looking for drugs.
Stafford originally denied nine offences as the trail commenced but suddenly changed her pleas and admitted three offences of being concerned in supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis and another of possessing cash as criminal property, on dates spanning October 2017 and May 2020.
Judge Mark Bury told Stafford: "You are well educated. You are a promising engineer. Your life went out of control some time in 2017 when you started dealing cannabis. You were a street dealer in cocaine.
"You had a significant amount of designer and expensive items and jewellery. I am not prepared to accept that it was fake. It shows that you were able to earn very good money from this operation. You have some talent and it's a great shame that you didn't deploy that talent in a more law-abiding way because I am sure you have something to offer.
"You didn't plead guilty until the very last minute. The evidence was strong, if not overwhelming. The jury was sworn and only during the opening did you change your pleas.
"Drug dealing on this scale, with this degree of financial reward that you you have reaped, simply cannot be overlooked. You have got more to offer than this and you have got to show that, when you have served this sentence."
Stafford mouthed a few words to three supporters in the public gallery as she was led away from the dock.
Stafford's silver Audi was spotted by cops heading along Priory Road towards Hull city centre at 7.30pm on May 12, 2020. The speeding motor turned onto Hotham Road South, cutting up a vehicle heading in the opposite direction.
After stopping her, officers smelled cannabis coming from the inside of the car and this aroused their suspicions. The car was searched and a carrier bag of cannabis skunk was found behind her seat and empty tub containing drug residue was found. The total value of the cannabis was £1,308. An iPhone was found, displaying drug messages.
"From the moment of seizure of the drugs to the arrival in the police station custody suite, the mobile iPhone was constantly ringing and receiving messages from different people," said Nadhim Bashir, prosecuting. "Some 30 phone calls were received and 10 to 20 text messages."
On the way to the police station, Stafford was seen "fidgeting" and was asked if she had any more drugs. She said: "Yes, but it's not mine and I don't know what it is. I shoved it down my joggers when you pulled me." She then pulled out a bag containing 56 smaller bags of cocaine, valued at £2,800.
Her three-bedroom home was searched and 270 wraps of crack cocaine, valued at £13,500, and 205 wraps of heroin, valued at £4,100, were found, along with herbal cannabis with a value of £2,500. Stafford denied all knowledge.
Thouands of pounds of cash was found in different points throughout her home, along with three Louis Vuitton handbags and nine watches were found but she admitted that these were hers. Examination of Stafford's bank accounts revealed that "she clearly had. an additional stream of cash income" apart from her monthly wages.
Mr Bashir told the court that Stafford was an "enthusiastic" cannabis dealer and progressed to becoming a Class A cocaine dealer. He said: "She had somehow managed to avoid her drug dealing activities coming to the attention of the police for a substantial period of time. The natural result of this was that she was able to accumulate a substantial amount of wealth.
"The contents of her home address is strong evidence of the nature of her drugs business. The amount, type and value of drugs found at her home were substantial. The drugs alone were street valued at £33,600. This is sustained drug dealing."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
