Dog sniffs out Leeds dealer's car-dashboard stash after officers failed to find drugs
A sniffer dog was able to locate a dealer’s drug stash hidden in his car dashboard less than an hour after officers ran a check.
Umar Munir failed to take the warning after the police stopped his Seat Leon in Leeds on December 29 last year at around 8pm.
Intelligence suggested he was involved with dealing, but having found no evidence, were forced to let him go, prosecutor Zanisha Herbert told Leeds Crown Court.
Around 45 minutes later they stopped the 21-year-old again on Burley Road, this time utilising the sniffer dog.
The animal found the drugs placed behind part of the dashboard, including 22 bags of cocaine, 34 of ketamine and 30 of cannabis. They also found £470 in cash.
It was suggested the cocaine alone was worth over £1,000.
Following his arrest, he refused to answer questions during his police interview.
Munir, of no fixed address, appeared in court this week over a video link from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand.
He admitted one count of dealing in Class A drugs and two counts of dealing in Class B drugs. He has no previous convictions.
Mitigating, Ian Hudson said Munir had shown promise after achieving GCSEs, but was unsuccessful in landing a place at university.
He said he then worked a series of menial jobs, sometimes two at a time in warehouses and restaurants.
Mr Hudson said after his father died, Munir’s life “went down hill” and he “went off the rails”. He said he “readily accepted he was dealing drugs”.
Judge Simon Batiste jailed Munir for 32 months.