Dealer who flung ounce of cannabis during Leeds police chase claimed it was for personal use

Vali Omidvar initially denied the drugs were even his, but when his fingerprints were found on the discarded package, he switched his story to claim that the dozens of separate deals were his to smoke.

The 43-year-old maintained his stance, despite admitting to possession with intent to supply a Class B drug.

A trial of issue was held at Leeds Crown Court where he was forced to give evidence and failed to persuade Judge Tom Bayliss KC, who said he was caught “red-handed” and that his account was “not credible”.

He said: “The only sensible inference to be drawn is that he is a street dealer. I’m quite sure he lied to fob the police off.

“It can only be explained by him being a street dealer.”

The court was told that officers were patrolling the Bayswater Mount area of Harehills on the afternoon of August 20 last year.

But when Omidvar saw the officers, he began picking up speed and ran, but was seen to stash the black carrier bag behind the wheel of a car.

He was arrested and the bag recovered. It contained 43 bags of cannabis worth £560 at street level. He also had £139 in cash on him.

He told officers they would not find any forensic evidence linking him to the bag - but his fingerprints were found on both the outside and inside of the bag.

Giving evidence in court, he said he now lived on Rydal Crescent in Morley but still went to Harehills to buy cannabis because it was cheaper.

He said he was heavy user, smoking up to six grammes of the drug a day and could go through an ounce in a week.

But he had little answer to why the cannabis he supposedly had for himself was cut into separate deals, and where the money he had on him had come from, despite being on benefits.

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He also admitted a charge of possession of cannabis after being stopped a week before on August 13, and possession of criminal property from January 2023.

That resulted from a raid on his home when officers found £830 worth of stolen clothing items taken from shops in Leeds.

Omidvar has been held in custody since August last year. Judge Bayliss jailed him for 20 months in total.