Drug dealer gets three years

A 24-year-old Oldham drug dealer was caught by police with heroin and cocaine on the streets just five days after being arrested for the same thing.

Mubashar Iqbal claimed on both occasions that the drugs were for his own use, Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court was told.

On each occasion however, he was also found to have a substantial amount of cash, and a number of mobile phones.

Martin Callery prosecuting, said the drugs taken from him were worth around £420, but in total he had been carrying £2,560 in cash.

Jailing him for three years, judge Peter Lakin told him: “Class A drugs are the cancer at the heart of our society.

“They cause misery and addiction and they also cause considerable problems for members of the public.

“Day in and day out, offences are committed by those addicted, in order to obtain cash at any cost to feed their habit.”

The court was told that Iqbal, of Cambridge Street, Oldham, was spotted by police on August 8 last year, when he was acting suspiciously in the Dawson Street area of the town.

When he was confronted, it was discovered that he had wraps of Class A drugs in his mouth.

He was arrested and later bailed pending court proceedings, but just five days later he was caught again.

This time he was the front seat passenger of a Ford Focus containing several men, which came to the attention of police in the Manley Road area of Oldham.

Officers saw what appeared to be a cigarette paper being tossed out of the passenger window, and when recovered, it was found to contain wraps of heroin and cocaine.

The court was told that he was taken to Oldham police station, where he was given a full body search which turned up hidden wraps of drugs.

David Toal defending, said his client had admitted peddling drugs on the streets both to fund his own habit, and pay off drug debts he owed.

Mr Toal said he had “totally and utterly” lost his way, and his behaviour had been such that he was made an outcast by his family.

He said however, that he had since made strenuous efforts to turn his life around, and as a result had been reconciled with his family.

Iqbal who pleaded guilty to four charges of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply, was told by judge Lakin: “An aggravating feature of this case is that the second offence was committed while you were still on bail for the first.

“At the time you were acting as a commercial street dealer in illegal Class A drugs.”

Iqbal was sentenced to three years in prison on each charge, the terms to run concurrently.