'Intelligent' drug dealer caught with nearly £30k drugs and £10k cash at Leeds Britannia hotel

Khaled Rahma was searched in the car park of Britannia Hotel, Bramhope, on October 30, 2019.

Police officers noticed him sitting in the driving seat of a Mercedes and as the officers approached the car, they could smell cannabis.

Leeds Crown Court heard Rahma, 26, was smoking what appeared to be a cannabis joint.

On his lap was an Apple iPhone and a room key for the Britannia hotel, so the officers asked him if he was staying there.

He said he had not stayed at the hotel for over a week, but officers found he had been staying from October 17 to October 30 under the name of Mr Farman.

CCTV footage showed Rahma coming and going from a hotel room carrying plastic bags.

On searching the car, officers found a sock with six dealers bags of cannabis inside.

They also found four bags of MDMA, nine bags of ketamine and 16 bags of cocaine worth £900.

A black holdall and Versace bag was found in the boot with £565 cash notes inside, as well as two mobile phones and a further £840 cash.

Drugs worth nearly £30,000 found in hotel room

On searching the hotel room booked by Rahma, officers found another £27,572 worth of drugs.

There was one bag of MDMA worth £4,720 in street value, 22 bags of cocaine worth £12,350, 381 MDMA tablets, 170 bags of ketamine and 112 bags of cannabis.

Officers also found one bag of dried magic mushrooms, a lock knife, latex gloves, cash and drugs paraphernalia including weighing scales.

A total of £9,905 in cash was found in Rahma's car and the hotel room.

Evidence of drug dealing was also found on Rahma's iPhone, including supplying the names and addresses of buyers to other dealers.

Rahma, of Lewes Road, Romford, Havering, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, one count of possession with intent to supply class B drugs and one count of the possession of criminal property.

Robin Frieze, mitigating, said Rahma was in "considerable" debt which led to his involvement in drug dealing.

Mr Frieze said: “At the time of his arrest, he had lost his flat and was sleeping mainly in his car and in the hotel room.

“He was a heavy user of drugs and had accumulated considerable debt.

“He became involved in drugs through people he owed a lot of money to.”

Rahma had no previous convictions, only a caution for possession of cannabis in 2016, and had a degree.

The court heard that Rahma had gained a 'respected' job at the library of Armley prison.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Batiste said Rahma was an “intelligent young man” who had tried to set up his own businesses but had not been successful.

He added: “Even when someone is not successful, it is not an excuse to start dealing class A drugs.

“It is always sad to find any young man who has, apart from one caution, never been in trouble before.

"It's even sadder to see a young man who has a large amount of ability involving themselves in such serious offending as you have."

Rahma was jailed for five years and four months for the offences.

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