Dealer's phone pinged with orders as Leeds police uncovered £2,500 of cannabis and cash on him

Hasan Farooq was pulled over by police on the evening of December 20 last year along Gelderd Road. Suspicious, they searched him and found three bags of cannabis on him worth £75, along with £329 in cash, a cannabis grinder and two mobile phones.

They then searched his vehicle and found 26 more deals of cannabis in bags, £1,400 in cash and a further mobile phone in his car. Leeds Crown Court heard that several messages came through from drug users putting in orders as they carried out the search.

In total, there was £845 worth of cannabis, and £1,769 in cash. They also searched his home address and found £60 worth of cocaine.

He admitted dealing in cannabis, possession of criminal property and possession of cocaine. The 20-year-old has a previous conviction for possession of cannabis.

Farooq, of Lascelles Terrace, Harehills, spent two weeks on remand before being granted bail, which a probation report suggested it had been a "wake-up call" for him.

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The report suggested he had "fallen in with the wrong people", was struggling with his wage, required money to fix his car after an accident and was too embarrassed to ask his father.

Judge Ray Singh gave him a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for two years. He told him: "You come from an extremely grounded background, there is very little if any criminality in your family and you have let them down.

"People who take cannabis seem to think it's not an issue. It is. It leads to harder drugs and further criminality. It's a slippery slope."

He also gave him 10 rehabilitation days and 120 hours of unpaid work.