They rewarded her with free drugs
A woman who was addicted to crack cocaine allowed her home to be used as a secret base for County Lines drug dealers – and her “reward” was to be given “free drugs” for herself. Rebecca Branton was putting herself “at the mercy of” the drug dealers involved and she needed to “kick” her reliance on the “nasty, short-term” crack cocaine that she was using.
Her home was used over a 10-month period for the “organised and fairly professional operation” of selling heroin and cocaine on the streets, Hull Crown Court heard. Branton, 50, of Link Road, Cottingham, admitted allowing her premises to be used for the supply of heroin and cocaine between March 2023 and January last year.
Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that, over a 10-month period, County Lines drug dealers from the Bradford area made repeated return trips to Hull and back. They used Branton’s home in Cottingham as a base for distribution in the Hull area.
“This was an organised and fairly professional operation,” said Mr Masson. “This was not something that happened just once or twice but regularly over a period of 10 months.”
Drugs, including heroin and cocaine, were sold or distributed from her home. Branton was a Class A drug user at the time and she allowed her home to be used as a way of “meeting her addiction”.
Items, including notebooks and mobile phones, were found at her home. The prosecution accepted that Branton was not actively involved in drug dealing.
Recorder Andrew Dallas said: “The people delivering drugs were using her home as a base. She was a customer of theirs. Her reward was getting free drugs.
“Customers weren’t actually coming to her house but dealers were using it as a base rather than a shop for customers to come to.” The case was originally listed for trial, with others who were more seriously involved.
Shafkat Khan, mitigating, said that Branton still occasionally took crack cocaine but she was receiving regular help and was working constructively with a drugs team. She hoped to have a detoxification and rid herself of her drug addiction.
“She is already receiving additional support,” said Mr Khan. Branton was on benefits and she had been on a 7pm to 7am curfew for 681 days. There had been no further offending and her previous convictions were from 25 years ago, the court heard.
Recorder Dallas told Branton: “With Class A drugs, there is crime everywhere and serious harm – and it did come to you when you allowed your home to be used by a County Lines gang for their base. On a significant and regular number of occasions, you allowed them to deal from your premises.
“I accept that you weren’t involved yourself and that you had an addiction to Class A drugs. You needed drugs and your reward for allowing this to happen and for taking the risks of this happening was that you would get free drugs.
“What you were doing was extremely serious. An addiction to drugs does not excuse offending, it merely explains it. You could well have faced a custodial sentence today.
“If you are taking crack cocaine, you are at the mercy of the people that you are buying it from. You must know that. You have got to kick crack cocaine. I know it’s hard. It’s a nasty, short-term drug.”
Branton was given 15 days’ rehabilitation.