‘Polite and intelligent’ man who came to town to sell drugs jailed
A YOUNG man whose family fled to the UK to escape war ended up being sent to Wales to sell Class A drugs in a county lines operation.
Mohamed Mohamed was arrested after police armed with a warrant forced entry to a flat in Zion Street in Llanelli on April 29. Inside they discovered the 20-year-old who on seeing officers immediately put a hand down the back of his trousers.
Prosecutor Craig Jones told Swansea Crown Court: “When officers challenged him if he had anything there that could hurt them he replied: ‘Only drugs - they are down the back of my boxers.’ He added: ‘I have been sent here to supply drugs. The man in London tells me what to do and sell and he contacts me on a withheld number. Check my phone.’”
Officers discovered Mohamed had 3.86g of crack cocaine in 16 wraps, worth around £320, and 9.45g of heroin, worth around £960, plus a further £538 in cash. They also recovered a combat knife with a 12in blade which Mohamed claimed was not his but admitted he handled.
An examination of Mohamed’s mobile phone revealed he had arrived in Llanelli by rail just two days before his arrest.
Ian Ibrahim, mitigating, told the court: “He made a full and frank admission when he was seized in the property and it was one of the most frank I have ever seen.
“He came across to police as polite, respectful, intelligent, and educated and that is something we do not see often in these cases.
“His family is from Somalia originally and his parents arrived here in 2002 because they were fleeing war.
“He did very well in school with seven GCSEs and two Btec qualifications and has worked with Hermes deliveries and in loft conversions.
“He came to Wales due to something we hear all too often. His brother had something stolen from him and he became involved in getting it back and that involved him being told to come to Wales to pay back that ‘disrespect’. He received instructions from an unknown phone.”
Mohamed, of Bluehouse Road, Chingford, in Waltham Forest, pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of controlled drugs of Class A with intent to supply.
Judge Paul Thomas QC told him: “Last month you travelled to this area from London, specifically to Llanelli, for one purpose and one purpose alone – to sell Class A drugs, heroin and crack cocaine, as part of what may well be a county lines operation.
“Within days of your arrival you were found in accommodation in Llanelli with a quantity of drugs and money which shows the scale of what you were doing before you were apprehended.
“The message has to go out that people like you from metropolitan areas can expect to stay if they are caught.
“The scenario is all too common – they are pressured to come down here.
“I am persuaded you are not a typical offender in these sorts of cases. Up to a point you were candid and co-operative which courts do not see very often.
“Mr Ibrahim’s judgement is you are an intelligent individual and you are from a supportive family who are worried about the position you have found yourself in.
“I hope when you come out [of prison] you will put this behind you and do something positive with your life rather than become embroiled in the murky world of drug dealing.”
Mohamed was jailed for two years and four months.