Harehills drug dealer caught with 1.5 kilos of cannabis avoids jail at Leeds Crown Court

Police found the cannabis along with drug paraphernalia and a small amount of crack cocaine during a search of 23-year-old Tyler O'nions' home on May 15 2019, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor, Elizabeth Noble said officers also confiscated £760 cash.

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O'nions, of Trafford Grove, Harehills, admitted possessing a class B drug with intent to supply, acquiring criminal property in connection with the cash and possessing a class A drug, the crack cocaine.

He has 14 previous convictions for 22 offences, none of them drug related.

He committed the latest offences while subject to a conditional discharge imposed in January 2019 for an offence of being drunk and disorderly.

Miss Noble said O'nions benefited from criminal activity by a total of £16,860.

The court heard the available amount he could pay for proceeds of crime was the £760 confiscated by police.

Judge Mushtaq Khokar ordered that O'nions must pay the £760 within 28 days.

A probation service spokeswoman said O'nions was a heavy cannabis user and had been dealing because he had a large drug debt with his supplier.

She said: "He describes being under pressure to pay off the debts from these individuals. He felt he had no choice.

"He was smoking cannabis heavily. He has used drugs since the age of 16.."

The court heard O'nions, who has a young child, has suffered from mental health problems depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The probation officer said: "He has had somewhat of a difficult childhood, having been in care fron the age of five."

The court heard O'nions has not used cannabis since his arrest, but is struggling with alcohol use.

Judge Mushtaq Khokar handed O'nions an eight month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months.

And he was given a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement to work with the probation service to try and address his drink problem.