£3.5k of drugs in jacket of ‘cuckooed’ teenager
A TEENAGER who travelled to Bridgend from London to deal drugs was caught by police with more than £3,500 of heroin and crack cocaine.
Calvin Ochan told officers he was just borrowing the jacket they found drugs in, then claimed he was trying to pay someone back money he borrowed for a construction course.
Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court, Recorder Christopher Clee QC said: “This is a classic county lines case.”
South Wales Police received a report from the householder that he was a victim of “cuckooing” by a London-based county lines drugs gang.
The court heard police went to the property – which had been taken over for drug supply – in Quarella Road, Bridgend, just before 5pm on Thursday, January 16.
Ochan first claimed he was Ace from Bristol, then Sirius from London. He was arrested and found to have 26g of crack cocaine and 9g of heroin, worth £3,560. He also had a bag of cannabis.
The defendant gave a prepared statement claiming he had borrowed money from someone to do a construction course and feared he would be stabbed if he did not pay it back.
Ochan, 18, from Lollard Street in Lambeth, London, admitted possessing cannabis and possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
James Hartson, defending, said: “This is a defendant who has clearly been put to work on behalf of other people far higher up the chain. Like many users of heroin he had built up a debt.”
He said his client was a Class A drug user who was sent to south Wales to deal on the streets.
Ochan was sent to a young offender institution for three years and four months and an order was made for the drugs to be destroyed.