A teenager who went back to selling heroin and crack cocaine shortly after leaving custody has been sent to a young offender institution for three years.
Muhammed Abdullah, 19, of Alexandra Road, Newport, was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after admitting two drug supply offences.
The arrest
Officers who recognised Abdullah saw him step out of a taxi on Commercial Road in the Pill area of Newport on Friday, July 24. As soon as he noticed them, he climbed back into the vehicle.
He was arrested and found to be carrying 22 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine. At the time he was on licence, having only recently been freed from a young offender institution, where he had been held for offences of a similar nature.
What was seized
Prosecutor Kathryn Lane told the court what was found on him:
- 14 wraps of heroin, worth between £150 and £290
- Eight wraps of crack cocaine, valued at between £90 and £190
- An iPhone holding incriminating evidence
The court heard Abdullah had been using Snapchat to advertise drugs for sale. The phone also held details of a customer who owed him money.
The charges
- Possession with intent to supply heroin
- Possession with intent to supply crack cocaine
Why he returned to dealing
The court was told Abdullah has never held a job and had been claiming Universal Credit. He had run up a debt because he is a “heavy cannabis user”, and he turned back to selling drugs to clear it.
He also wanted money so he could be the “man of the house” and provide for his mother and siblings.
Defence submissions
Tabitha Walker, representing Abdullah, asked for her client to receive the full one-third credit for his guilty pleas. She told the court he had written a letter apologising for his actions.
The court heard that once he is released, he intends to apply for a CSCS card so he can find work in the construction industry.
Sentencing
Judge Celia Hughes told Abdullah his decision to go back into the drugs trade had been “impetuous and foolish”.
She sentenced him to three years in a young offender institution and said the time he has already spent on remand will count towards it. He will also have to pay a victim surcharge on his release.
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