Mercedes-driving courier avoids being locked up after Leeds police uncover £2,000 worth of drugs
A courier caught transporting drugs around Leeds avoided jail after claiming he had turned his life around.
Wayne Hargreaves was stopped by officers in 2021 and the case has taken more than four years to reach Leeds Crown Court.
In that time the 38-year-old had stayed out a trouble and rid himself of his addiction. As a result, he was given a suspended sentence this week.
The court heard that police had spotted a Mercedes driving erratically on Armley Gyratory on January 11, 2021, and so pulled it over.
Hargreaves was driving and the officers noticed a small snap bag of white powder in the car, leading to a search.
They found 12 bags of cocaine, 26 bags of cannabis and eight bags of ketamine, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told the court.
They searched his home and found 12 containers of cannabis and 60 tramadol pills. The total value of the drugs came to £2,194.
Hargreaves, of Holborn Towers, Woodhouse, gave a no-comment interview to police.
He later admitted one count of dealing in Class A drugs, two of dealing in Class B, one of dealing in Class C and possession of criminal property.
Mitigating, Rebecca Young said Hargreaves had no other convictions since then.
She said due to the case “hanging over his head” he had been unable to find employment but is keen to find a job.
He is now drug-free and Ms Young said: “This has been, if nothing else, a salutary lesson for him.”
The court learned that Hargreaves’ mobile phone was forensically analysed, and pointed to him being a courier rather than a regular street dealer.
He had become a cannabis user and run up a debt, so was ordered to deliver drugs.
The judge, Recorder Jeremy Hill-Baker said: “You know as well as anybody the harm that drugs cause.”
He gave him a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, ordered him to complete 10 rehabilitation days with probation and 100 hours of unpaid work.