Mobile phones help snare drug dealers
JON MACPHERSON
TWO Accrington drug ealers have been jailed for more than four years.
Yasser Ali and Michael James McPake were caught after mobile phone evidence was found during the search of another drug dealer’s property on Trinity Street in Oswaldtwistle, a court heard.
Officers recovered heroin, cocaine, cannabis and phones during the raid in April 2016.
Ali, 30, was then arrested in Accrington in June 2016 and found in possession of a ‘dealer’ mobile phone which was used to send drugrelated messages to customers.
Prosecutor Paul Brookwell told Preston Crown Court that police searched McPake’s home on College Street in Accrington three weeks later where their co-defendant Samee Ahmed was also present.
They recovered £3,000 worth of cannabis, 11 wraps of heroin and seven wraps of cocaine, weighing scales and money.
When Ahmed was further searched at the police station officers seized another 100 wraps of heroin and 41 wraps of cocaine worth £1,500.
McPake’s phone also showed cannabis advertising messages.
In a series of basis of pleas accepted by the prosecution, Ali, of College Street, said he was a class A drug user and manned a ‘dealer phone’ on April 18 and 19 and June 28 in 2016.
McPake, 35, said he was a ‘custodian’ of the class A drugs and was in a ‘vulnerable position’. He accepted his involvement in the supply of drugs between April 16 and 25, 2016.
Ahmed, 23, of Steiner Street, Accrington, said he was a heavy user of cannabis and called at McPake’s house to buy some of the drug. When police raided the house he was found holding class A drugs believing them to be cannabis.
Another man Andrew Taylor, 32, of Wilfred Street, Accrington, admitted allowing other people to use his mobile phone to deal in drugs to pay off a debt.
Ali, Taylor and McPake all pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
McPake also pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply and Ahmed pleaded guilty to possessing class A drugs.
Ali was jailed for 29 months, McPake was jailed for 22 months, Ahmed was given a 20-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months and Taylor was given a six-month jail sentence suspended for six months. A FASHION night will be held at Accrington and Rossendale College to raise funds for a children’s charity.
The ‘Fashion by Fizz’ event has been organised by the NSPCC Oswaldtwistle District Committee and will take place on Tuesday, October 16, at the college on Sandy Lane.
Meet at 7.30pm for an 7.45pm start. Tickets cost £4 and there will also be a raffle, with proceeds to the NSPCC.