Dealer caught with £12,000 of heroin near train station in Leeds

Vadims Duhins, 31, a Latvian national, was arrested by officers from Leeds District Serious Organised Crime Unit on a footpath next to the Owlcotes Shopping Centre as he walked towards New Pudsey station on February 7 this year.

He was carrying an Adidas sports bag that was found to contain nine ounces of heroin with a street value of £12,600.

Train tickets found on him showed he had travelled by rail from Malton, North Yorkshire, where he was living, earlier that day to buy the drugs.

He was sentenced to four years and six months for possession of heroin with intent to supply when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court. Detective Inspector Jaz Khan, of Leeds District Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “This was a very significant seizure of drugs that had been bought in Leeds and were clearly destined for the streets of North Yorkshire.

“Class A drugs do enormous damage both to the lives of individuals who take them and in communities where they fuel crime and anti-social behaviour. We hope the significant sentence he has received will reassure the public and serve as a warning to others who involve themselves in the supply of drugs.

“We will continue to use all available tactics to target those involved in the supply of drugs and will keep gathering intelligence from the community and elsewhere to focus our attention on them.”