A man who stashed 1.5kg of heroin in a bag inside dog kennels on behalf of drug dealers to pay off his own debt has been locked up.
Amar Majid admitted acting as a warehouseman for the £30-40,000 worth of Class A drugs but denied being responsible for dealing the narcotic saying there was ‘nowt on his phone’.
The 33-year-old was staying at his girlfriend’s Darlington home when police carried out the raid last October.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant was ‘warehousing’ the drugs for someone he was too scared to name in a bid to reduce his own debt.
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Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said officers found the bag of heroin inside a bag hidden in a dog kennel where the defendant kept his dogs at the property on Mossbank Grove, Darlington.
He said the estimated street value of the Class A drug recovered from the scene would be in the region of £167,000 but with a wholesale, bulk value of £30-40,000.
Mr Sabiston added: “An officer noticed that the defendant was agitated and sweating profusely before being detained.”
Majid, of Belle Vue Grove, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to possession of heroin and driving whilst disqualified. A charge of handling stolen goods in relation to the A3 Audi found at the property was allowed to lie on court files.
In a brief outburst during proceedings, Majid shouted: “These drugs are nowt to do with me. I’m taking the rap for someone else.”
David Taylor, in mitigation, said his client was correct when he said ‘there’s nowt on my phone’ because he was nothing to do with the actual dealing.
He added: “He was warehousing the drug, he was housing it in his run down flat in his dog kennel and in terms of operational function, that was simply his role.
“That’s what many people are used to do, vulnerable people are often used in that role.”
Recorder Marco Giuliani sentenced Majid for 40 months for his role in the drug supply network.
He said: “The police to a house at the back of which had a dog kennel which had your dogs in it. When the kennel was searched the police found 1.5kg of 14 per cent purity heroin.
“You were also observed to be driving whilst disqualified.”
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