Two young drug dealers who 'wanted to make a quick buck' caught red-handed

Two young drug dealers – one of them homeless – were caught red-handed with stashes of heroin and cocaine because they "wanted to make a quick buck" and selling them on the streets was a "no-brainer".

But they were "not criminally naive" when they got involved in the seedy trade and they "knew precisely what they were doing" when they began their drug dealing activities, Hull Crown Court heard.

Kieran McDonald, 20, of no fixed address, and James Scott, 22, of Coates Street, Bradford, admitted possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply in Hull on February 15. McDonald originally denied the offences but he later changed his pleas.

Emma Handley, prosecuting, said that police in Princes Avenue, west Hull, spotted a known drug user and another person. Scott approached and a conversation took place between the three men.

He walked with the two men to the rear of a building in Park Grove and he exchanged something with both men. One of the customers hid the purchase in his mouth and Scott put money in his pocket before going to Princes Avenue.

Scott and McDonald were seen later with known drug users in Hinderwell Street but they disappeared out of view. About 55 minutes later, police went to a flat in Princes Avenue and both men were inside.

Stashes of cocaine, including more than 100 packages as well as 24 packages of heroin were found. The total weight of cocaine was 7.27g and the total weight of heroin was 2.03g. The values of the drugs were unknown.

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Two machetes were found in the flat but they had not been specifically linked to either McDonald or Scott. Phones were seized and messages about drug dealing, as well as videos of drugs and machetes, were found on McDonald's phone. Nothing was found on Scott's phone but two grinders and two phones were found at his home. Nothing significant was found in the phones.

McDonald later told police that he was homeless at the time. He claimed that he was not involved in drugs supply and that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Scott made no comment during police interview.

McDonald had convictions for 17 previous offences between October 2018 and 2021, including robbery, burglary, wounding, witness intimidation and breaching a criminal behaviour order but none for drugs. Scott had convictions for four previous driving-related offences.

Jazmine Lee, mitigating, said that McDonald claimed that he was a runner. "He was acting under direction from others," said Miss Lee.

"He was found with no cash on him. He was only there for 24 hours. They were in it together but they were not by any stretch of it in charge of this operation. They were not making thousands of pounds from it.

"He got himself involved in this. He doesn't seek to hide behind what he has done. He wanted to make a quick buck out of this. He was at the bottom of the ladder of the drug chain.

"He wanted to make some money. He was, at the time, homeless and sofa surfing and sleeping on his brother's sofa. To him, this was a no-brainer. He wishes he had never got involved in this. I know that it has been a wake-up call for him."

Leila Taleb, representing Scott, said that he was involved through an element of naivety and it was his first conviction for drugs and his first as an adult. He had been homeless and "living from pillar to post" after a chaotic upbringing.

"It's clear that he had no influence over those above him in the chain," said Miss Taleb. "He has expressed his remorse."

Recorder Dafydd Enoch KC said: "They knew what they were doing. They are not criminally naive. I have no doubt that they knew exactly what they were doing."

Recorder Enoch told the pair: "You went into this venture, I am quite certain, knowing what you were doing. You weren't handling large quantities of drugs. You were selling to people on the street."

McDonald was sent to a young offenders' institution for three years and Scott was jailed for two-and-a-half years. They were both already in custody on remand.