Garston man sentenced to two and a half years

A young man from Garston caught driving through Croxley Green with cocaine inside the car has been sent to a young offenders institute for two and a half years. Mohammed Ahmed, 20, was stopped by police behind the wheel of a BMW in Watford Road on July 3 last year. Ahmed, of Woodside, was found with 47 grams of cocaine in 72 bags under his seat. He was already a disqualified driver. St Albans Crown court was told that the haul had a street value of between £2,800 and £4,000. Ahmed admitted in court that he had been acting as a courier for his dealers who he had got into debt with because of his own drug misuse. He pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled drug of Class A with intent to supply. David Chrimes, prosecuting, said Ahmed had been stopped in the BMW, which he had borrowed from a friend, at around 1.15pm that day. Police found £95 on him, along with the drugs, and he was arrested. Barrister Jay Nutkins, defending, said Ahmed had run up a debt of £2500 to his own dealers and been told by them that working as a drugs courier that day was one way of bringing the debt down. However, after his arrest and release on bail, he had been told by his dealers that his debt had now doubled to £5000. Mr Nutkins said: “He lives in fear and his family want to move out of Hertfordshire.” Passing sentence, Judge Warner told Ahmed: “People who supply class A drugs can expect to lose their liberty for a significant period of time.” The judge said people who used class A drugs had their lived “blighted” and he said Ahmed had been involved in their distribution for financial gain. He was sent to a young offenders institute for the next two and a half years and disqualified from driving for a further 18 months.