A drugs warehouser caught with a "small mountain" of narcotics was told the fact he was "preyed upon" could not be used as a get out of jail free card.
When police carried out a bust at Mark Simmonette's then-home in Walker, Newcastle, they found heroin, cocaine, crack, cannabis and other drugs worth more than £100,000. Newcastle Crown Court heard the 33-year-old was "vulnerable" and was storing most of the drugs for others.
But a judge said a prison sentence must be imposed to deter others from allowing themselves to be used by gangs to warehouse drugs. Jailing him for 30 months, Recorder Toby Hedworth KC said: "In July last year police visited your home and found a substantial stash of drugs. The prosecution has material which I have not seen to suggest what you say about the drugs is correct.
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"There is a requirement on those who sentence offenders involved in this sort of criminal activity that people are effectively put off and deterred from providing the sort of role as a vulnerable person that you did in this case.
"Otherwise, what happens is those who operate drugs operations sift through those who are the most vulnerable and put the most pressure on them. If, every time someone is detained, they say they are vulnerable and effectively it's a get out of jail free card, it can't happen."
It was on July 1 last year that police executed a search warrant at Walpole Street, Walker, Newcastle. No one was present but documents were found in the name of Simmonette.
They found around 2.5 kilos of heroin, worth up to £49,000, just under 700g of cocaine worth up to £37,500, just under 100g of crack cocaine worth up to £5,000, just under 1.5 kilos of cannabis worth up to £11,000, 9,000 diazepam tablets worth up to £ £12,000 and 2,500 pregablin tablets worth up to £3,500.
Officers also found cutting agents and the value of the heroin and cocaine could have been increased significantly once they had been cut.
Simmonette, 33, of Dibley street, Byker, pleaded guilty to possessing all six drugs with intent to supply on the basis he was selling some of the cannabis but was only storing the other narcotics on behalf of others, having been pressured to do so.
Christopher Knox, defending, said Simmonette was previously hard working but was injured in a road accident which was not his fault in 2018 which led to him getting involved in the offending.
Mr Knox said the police initially thought they had found significantly more heroin than was actually the case and added: "The prosecution accept he was looking after the drugs and probably being pressured by others to take care of what really is a small mountain of drugs and cutting agents.
"He is vulnerable and has been preyed upon. He is well thought of in the community."
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