West Yorkshire drug gang jailed for almost 13 years

A court heard officers arrested the offenders on three occasions over a seven month period.

On one occasion police found £400 in a tupperware box which had been thrown into bushes by one of the men.

Leeds Crown Court heard the first arrests were made on August 12 last year after officers observed Adil Mahmood and Mark O’Donnell in a car on Alverthorpe Road, Wakefield.

Carmel Pearson, prosecuting, said O’Donnell was driving and Mahmood appeared to be selling drugs to people who approached the vehicle.

Officers searched Mahmood and he was found in possession of six wraps of crack cocaine and heroin.

On December 14 officers stopped Stephan Lenaghan and Ismail Cassim in a car on Springfield Avenue, Batley.

Miss Pearson said Cassim had just sold drugs to a woman and still had a ten pound note in his hand when approached by the officers.

Both men were arrested and £400 worth of drugs were found in the car and hidden inside Cassim’s sock.

A tub was also thrown from the vehicle which was found to contain drugs.

Four mobile phones were also in the vehicle.

Lenaghan was released on bail but caught dealing drugs again with O’Donnell on March 3 this year in Wakefield.

The two men were in a car and Lanaghan got out of the vehicle and tried to hide £400 worth of heroin and crack cocaine in some bushes.

Officers were alerted by builders on who saw him try to hide the drugs.

Lenaghan, 49, of Sykes Walk, Soothill, Batley, pleaded guilty to four offences of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply and was jailed for five and a half years.

O’Donnell, 32, of Ken Churchill Drive, Horbury, Wakefield, pleaded guilty to four offences of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply and was jailed for two and a half years.

Mahmood, 23, of Dark Lane, Batley, pleaded guilty to two offences of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply and had was jailed for two and a half years.

Cassim, 35, of Links Road, Tooting, London, pleaded guilty to two offences of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply and was jailed for two years, four months.