Junkie found guilty of dealing drugs

AN addict was caught red-handed with hard drugs when police raided his home for the second time in two months.

Mohammed Afzal had been arrested in July - and was awaiting prosecution when he was arrested again in September.

Both time police seized wraps of heroin and diazepam, bundles of cash, scales and mobile phones.

Afzal (49), claimed the £300-worth of drugs seized were for his personal use. He admitted being an addict for 26 years and using up to £40 of heroin a day.

Kim Irving, prosecuting, said the Crown’s case was that he was in fact a dealer, making money from the evil trade of peddling drugs to feed his own habit.

Text messages were found on one mobile phone taken from his home in Devon Street, Werneth, which were clearly requests from a customer for him to sell them drugs.

Afzal told the jury he couldn’t understand English, so the messages would have been meaningless.

The trial jury found him guilty on two counts of possession of heroin with intent to supply, and two counts of possession of diazepam with intent to supply. He will be sentenced on Tuesday May 6.

Giving evidence in court, Afzal said he had worked for the first 12 years he was in the UK, but now lived on benefits. Under cross examination he accepted he had an expensive habit given his limited income, but denied being a dealer.