POLICE SAW DEALERS, AGED 20, SELLING HEROIN IN CITY CENTRE
Men jailed after officers swooped during deal
TWO drug dealers have been jailed after they were caught peddling class A drugs in the city centre.
Cameron Smith and Callum Holdcroft, both aged 20, were arrested after Holdcroft was seen to carry out a drug deal in Hanley.
They were searched and officers recovered heroin, scales and a phone from Holdcroft, and crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis from Smith. His phone contained a message linking him to the supply of drugs.
Now they have both been jailed for 28 months at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court.
Prosecutor Wendy Miller said police saw them both involved in a drugs exchange in the city centre on February 21 last year.
Miss Miller said: “They saw Holdcroft pass an item to a man for money. They saw both defendants look over their shoulder. They approached them and searched them. They found a quantity of heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.
“Holdcroft had three packages of heroin in three deals worth £30 and £140 cash; digital scales and an iphone.
“Smith had crack cocaine, heroin, and cannabis. He had 13 packages of crack cocaine worth £170. There was also a one gram deal of cannabis worth £10 and eight £10 deals of heroin; £190 cash and a Nokia phone. There were drugs messages on the phone from the night before. It had been sent to seven recipients, notifying the fact he had very good quality crack cocaine and heroin available for sale.”
Smith, of London Road, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to two offences of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply, possession of a class B drug and failing to surrender to bail.
Holdcroft, of Hawthorn Place, Meir, pleaded guilty to possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.
Debbie Leadbeater, representing Smith, said he has spent about four months in custody. She added that his partner is pregnant and he will miss the beginning of his child’s life.
Jason Holt, for Holdcroft, said there were no drug-related messages on his client’s phone.
He said: “He was using cocaine and cannabis. He tells me the £40 he would have made from the sale of these drugs would have been spent on the cocaine he was using. He had a £40-a-day habit at that time.
“He was left with the difficulty of trying to pay for his habit. He did not appreciate the seriousness of it.
“It was heroin he was selling. He had not properly understood the consequences of that behaviour.”
Judge David Fletcher jailed both men for 28 months, and added an extra 14 days for Smith’s Bail Act offence.
He ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.