'I don't want to be with a dealer': Girlfriend's phone message helped convict drug runner - Leeds Crown Court

Mohammed Zeeshan Khan was caught by police in Lupset with hundreds of pounds worth of crack and heroin on him, £700 in cash and two mobile phones, which were seized.

Prosecutor Rebecca Young said the 28-year-old refused to comment during a police interview, but officers found clear messages relating to dealing on one phone.

They also found a message from his partner on the other phone, telling him she did not want to be with him if he continued to sell drugs,

Leeds Crown Court heard that Khan eventually admitted to dealing heroin and crack.

The court was told that police decided to follow Khan when he was seen speeding along George Green Road in a black Audi A3 on the evening of May 1, 2019.

He came to the junction of Dewsbury Road where a second police car tried to box him in, but he drove off despite the blue lights being activated.

During the chase, officers noticed him leaning behind himself as if to conceal something. They eventually stopped him and found the cash in the centre console.

When Khan got out of the vehicle, a bag of drugs fell out of his shorts onto the floor. It contained 54 wraps in total, including 38 wraps of high-purity crack cocaine worth £380 and 16 wraps of heroin worth £130.

In March 2021, he was also involved in a high-speed chase with police after taking off in a Mercedes in the Bradford area while on bail.

He was eventually detained and was charged with dangerous driving, driving while banned and having no insurance.

Khan once again gave no comments during interview and initially denied the offences, but failed to attend his trial. He eventually pleaded guilty.

The court heard that he had a long list of convictions, including multiple cannabis possession offences and dangerous driving in 2012 for which he was detained.

He was also jailed for conspiracy to burglary in 2013, receiving a 32-month sentence, then given four years in prison in 2015 for dealing heroin and crack. He was also convicted of drink-driving in 2017.

Mitigating for Khan, Kristina Goodwin said he had been experiencing issues with his girlfriend and was smoking a lot of cannabis when he was caught in Lupset.

She said: "He should have taken a more mature approach, but due to the amount he was smoking, he owed money to the drug dealer.

"He was too ashamed to ask his family for money and felt he had no other option to work off his debt.

"He tells me he has stopped taking drugs and has spent his time on remand reflecting.

"He has a poor record for someone of his age and he knows that. He knows he has some way to go and knows his sentences will only get longer."

Khan, of Flinton Grove, Bradford, has been held on remand in HMP Leeds since December and appeared at Leeds Crown Court via video link.

Recorder Jacques Algazy QC jailed him for 43 months for the drug offences, with an additional 10 weeks for the driving charges. He also banned him from driving for four years.

He told him: "There is little that can be said on your behalf, yours is undoubtedly a bad record for a man of 28."

This story was first published by the Wakefield Express.