A MAN has been imprisoned after admitting to distributing Class A narcotics.
Aidain Hamzah, of York Avenue, Shotton, appeared in Caernarfon Crown Court for sentence on Friday (October 28).
The 20-year-old had previously acknowledged to being involved in the distribution of Class A narcotics as well as the possession of illicit goods.
Prosecutor Nicola Williams stated that in April of last year, police got a report from a concerned member of the public regarding alleged drug sales on King George Street in Shotton.
Police were called, and Hamzah was found with 10 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin in the adjacent Taliesin Nature Reserve, near Ysgol Ty Ffynnon, as well as £305 in cash. Miss Williams stated that drug experts indicated that the money was most likely obtained from the selling of narcotics.
Two months later, he was arrested again for possession of the same Class A narcotics after attempting to flee during a stop search on Shotton Lane on a bicycle – while still under police investigation for the first offence. A black knotted bag included 117 heroin and crack cocaine packages.
Hamza was discovered with 105 wraps of crack cocaine and 22 wraps of heroin.
Arron Payne, defending, said Hamzah had a minor role in the drug supply and was “pressured” into trafficking to repay a drug debt caused by his ketamine addiction.
Mr Payne stated that Hamzah was left in the care of his grandparents when he was 10 years old owing to his mother’s addiction to Class A drugs, as well as one of his brothers being incarcerated for Class A drug offences and another being the victim of a drug-related stabbing.
Mr Payne stated that Hamzah had “turned his life around” and has recently been employed in the period after the offences happened.
The fact that Hamzah’s offending occurred while he was already serving a suspended jail term, and that the second offence occurred while he was under police investigation for the first, was an aggravating aspect of the offence.
Due to Hamzah’s positive measures in turning his life around, his reduced involvement in the supply, and the influence of his troubled background, Judge Nicola Saffman stated she would give the least possible term for Class A drug selling.
She sentenced him to 16 months in prison. After eight months, he will be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence on probation.
Following the sentencing, PC Christopher Wynne, a former investigating officer, stated:
