A STRATFORD man who had ‘a nice little earner’ as a drug dealer was caught when the police went to his home after he had been seen driving erratically.
Officers carried out a search which uncovered more than 100 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine hidden in various places including a salt tub.
And at Coventry Crown Court Daniel Whittaker of St Peter’s Way, was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply them.
The 22 year-old was also ordered to pay a mandatory £900 criminal court charge, leading Judge Philip Gregory to comment: “Let’s hope he doesn’t have to sell drugs to pay it.”
A car was being driven erratically in Stratford collided with another vehicle in May.
When the police later examined a CCTV recording which had captured the incident, in a bid to identify the driver, an officer recognised Whittaker, who had a number of previous convictions.
The drugs were worth a total of up to £1,500 and the police also seized bundles of cash totalling £820 – which Judge Gregory ordered to be forfeited under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Despite the large quantity of the two drugs in £10 deals, Whittaker, whose previous convictions included possessing cannabis with intent to supply it, admitted it was his, but denied dealing.
Nick Devine, defending, said Whittaker was addicted to heroin and, to a lesser degree crack cocaine, and had been given the chance to work off his debt to his dealer by selling the drugs.
Jailing Whittaker, Judge Gregory told him: “You have led a deeply anti-social life. You’ve been before the courts on 18 previous occasions for 41 offences.
“You then engaged in a pretty active business of street dealing in those drugs to make money for yourself in order to buy drugs for yourself. It was a nice little earner for you.
“But you are young enough to turn your life around if you really want. You’ve apparently got yourself clean now, so you can hopefully make a fresh start when you come out.”
