Three drug dealers jailed for selling heroin and cocaine in Worcester

Kouros Haywood used street dealers Mohamed Isse and Joseph Chapple to sell the class A drugs in Worcester and even employed youths, one just 15 years old, to deal heroin and crack cocaine in Cheltenham, trafficked to the town from Birmingham.

However, Haywood claimed he was himself being exploited, pressured and threatened by people further up the chain of command.

All three dealers were jailed by judge Nicolas Cartwright at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday.

Haywood admitted three counts of possession of heroin with intent to supply and three of possession of crack cocaine with intent to supply. The 19-year-old of Frankley Beeches Road, Birmingham, further admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine).

Isse, aged 18, of Golden Eagle Gardens, Birmingham, and Joseph Chapple, 35, of Arboretum Road, Worcester each admitted two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply (heroin and crack cocaine).

Judge Cartwright said: "The reason the supply of class A drugs is regarded as so serious is because it brings misery and sometimes death to those who use them. Everybody knows that the social cost is enormous.

"It is also known that a good deal of acquisitive offending occurs because of the need from the users to obtain funds to pay for the drugs they use."

Haywood admitted supplying heroin and crack cocaine in Worcester between January 1 and 10 this year and similar offences, also in Worcester, between January 10 and February 3 and again on February 2. The two conspiracies to supply heroin and crack took place between May 1 and July 20 this year.

The court heard how Haywood controlled the 'Avon' county drugs line where addicts were sent text messages in bulk advertising drugs for sale in Worcester and also the 'blue line' in Cheltenham, active there from May.

Haywood also delivered a criminal phone from Birmingham to Bicester, seized during his arrest. The judge described his role as manning the county lines telephone number and contacting the street dealers in Worcester.

Mark Thompson, for Haywood, said: "It's not his gang. He's not the head of it. He's vulnerable and he's been exploited through fear and through actual violence."

Mr Thompson told the court his client had been 'shown firearms' and there was 'exploitation through coercion', his client coming to court with a black eye on one occasion.

"That is as a result of those people who put him to work" said Mr Thompson.

The defence advocate also told the court how Haywood feared for his younger siblings and had finished a two two year apprenticeship at Carillion which has since collapsed.

Haywood, who also packaged up the drugs, claimed he was paying off a perceived debt he owed to those above him in the chain.

At his flat were traces of drugs, scales and drugs paraphernalia.

Isse would get the train to Worcester and was arrested in the city with 105 wraps of drugs (40 of heroin and 65 of crack cocaine) worth £1,060 and £245 in cash.

Gary Cook, prosecuting, said police were alerted by members of the public who suspected dealing was taking place in Sansome Walk, Worcester.

Mr Cook said Isse ran off, discarding the drugs before he was arrested.

During his sentencing remarks the judge said the amount of cash Isse had in his possession when he was arrested made it clear he had started with 130 wraps worth around £10 each.

There were 300 separate telephone contacts between Haywood and Isse which judge Cartwright said was 'no doubt to direct him to the individual customers so transactions could take place'. It was estimated by the judge that Isse was supplying 10g a day to customers in Worcester over an eight day period.

Judge Cartwright said: "After Mr Isse was arrested, Mr Chapple was recruited to the operation. He was a local addict living here in the Arboretum area of Worcester where Mr Isse had been arrested."

Chapple was dealing class A drugs in Worcester for about three and a half weeks before he too was arrested after being found in possession of 20 wraps hidden in a Kinder Egg and £360 in cash, money the defendant claimed was surplus from his ESA.

Following Chapple's arrest Haywood came to Worcester himself and was found to have 104 wraps of class A drugs and arrested on February 2.

Haywood was on bail for these offences when he organised the supply of class A drugs from Birmingham to Cheltenham, setting up a 'cuckooing operation' in a flat. This is where dealers set up a base of operations, often in a vulnerable addict's home, to deal drugs. One of the juveniles in Cheltenham was found with 185 wraps. Haywood had even bought one of the rail tickets allowing one of the youths to travel to the town.

Judge Cartwright said: "Youths were sent from Birmingham, one as young as 15 years of age."

Haywood's DNA was found on some of the wraps. The judge said there were elements of 'significant role' in Haywood's case, that he manned the drugs telephone line, had an understanding of the scale of the operation and gained financial advantage from it. Judge Cartwright said an aggravating feature was Haywood's 'persistence', recruiting Chapple after Isse's arrest and travelling to Worcester by himself once Chapple had been arrested.

Mitigating factors the judge considered were Haywood's youth, his lack of previous convictions and his guilty plea. The judge ordered Haywood to be detained in a Young Offender Institution for six and a half years.

The judge issued a deprivation order in relation to Haywood's Fiat Punto because it had been used in the offence. He faces a two year driving ban upon his release.

Judge Cartwright also ordered the seizure of cash and the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs confiscated by police.

Isse was sentenced to 29 months detention in a Young Offender Institution, his youth and lack of previous convictions taken into consideration.

Judge Cartwright told Isse he had already had a good job and qualifications but that he had believed that dealing drugs would be 'easy money'. "It's unfathomable to me and probably to your parents as to why you you would risk so much for money you didn't actually need" he told Isse.

Chapple was jailed for 45 months. Chapple had 60 previous offences recorded against him including burglary and dishonesty matters but no drug trafficking offences.

The judge accepted that Chapple had been dealing drugs to fund his own 'crippling drug habit' and that he had not been transporting the drugs from Birmingham to Worcester but sold them on once they had been delivered to the city.