A cocaine user turned to street dealing after spending £60 a day on drugs at the “height” of his addiction and quickly building up a big £900 debt.
Eagle-eyed police spotted Ronnie Harrison involved in two suspicious-looking exchanges with users near his home and a search of the house later revealed a zombie knife stashed behind a sofa. He claimed that he did not actually handle the drugs himself but acted as a go-between by collecting the cash for sales, Hull Crown Court heard.
Harrison, 22, of 38th Avenue, north Hull, admitted being concerned in supplying cocaine on September 27. Benjamin Donnell, prosecuting, said that plainclothes police spotted Harrison involved in apparent drug exchanges with two people. On each occasion, he left his home and met a drug user before returning to the house.
Police tried to detain him but they could not do so because he had gone back into his home. He later left and went to a black Audi car and drove away. He was followed to Levisham Close, where he parked and was intercepted. He told an officer: “Daft c***. When I see you around town, you are going to get it.”
Harrison had £505 cash on him. Two phones were seized. At his home, a zombie knife was found behind a sofa. He had already been fined £200 by Hull magistrates on April 9 for having the knife.
Police also found £365 cash in a jacket, £40 in a bag and a large amount of cash in a kitchen cupboard but the prosecution accepted his explanation that the money was from the sale of a vehicle rather than from selling drugs.
There were weighing scales and messages on a mobile phone showed that bulk messages had been sent out advertising the sale of cocaine. Messages also suggested that Harrison was employing others to complete street deals for him.
“No drugs were found on him when he was arrested – or at the house,” said Mr Donnell. “He clearly involved others in the operation. The messages suggest he had a management function in relation to this drug dealing enterprise.”
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During police interview, Harrison claimed that he did not touch any drugs himself but people approached him and he acted as a go-between. He claimed that he did not benefit financially from the sale of drugs. He had a conviction for handling stolen goods.
Samantha Laws, mitigating, said that Harrison had been a recreational drug user but he later, unfortunately, became addicted to cocaine and that led to his involvement in dealing. “He had a debt of around £900 – not an insignificant debt – and he was offered a job to repay that debt and that was to sell drugs to other people,” said Miss Laws.
“He was spending around £60 a day on drugs himself at the height of his addiction. He offered to answer a phone, he would collect drugs money and the buyer would collect the drugs from another person nearby.
“He says he didn’t handle the drugs himself. No drugs were found either on him or during the full search of his property.”
Harrison’s girlfriend of two years, aged 21, gave him an ultimatum to either sort himself out or he would not see either her or their baby son. Harrison had distanced himself from old associates, had a labouring job with a roofing company and had stopped taking cocaine. He also had a child from a previous relationship.
Harrison was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and 10 days’ rehabilitation.