A dealer was caught running a ‘Dyno’ drugs line months after being released from prison during a coronavirus lockdown. Levi Sparrow, 28, came out to find he was out of work and resorted to dealing heroin and crack cocaine.
Sparrow would send out ‘flare’ messages from the ‘Dyno’ drugs line on an old Nokia phone to promote various deals for the class A drugs.
Earlier this year, police executed a warrant at his house and found wraps of drugs, cash and paraphernalia such as digital scales and a chopping board with white residue on it.
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Sparrow, of Eccles, was arrested and recalled on his licence where he served 10 weeks in prison, but upon his release, he was again caught dealing drugs.
He admitted four offences of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, as well as two offences of possession of criminal property, namely cash. Today (September 27) he was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Manchester Crown Court heard that on March 28 this year, officers searched Sparrow’s address and found snap bags of class A drugs and a large amount of cash in the kitchen.
Inside the pockets of two coats were further quantities of cash, as well as a knife, an extending baton and a balaclava which were found in his girlfriend’s car parked outside.
Police also found the drug paraphernalia along with two Nokia phones, an Alcatel phone and an iPhone, which belonged to his partner.
Sparrow was arrested whilst he was attending his probation appointment, prosecutor Thomas Worsfold said.
“The substances suspected to be drugs were subject to analysis. There was a cling film wrap of 0.121g of crack cocaine of 86% purity, another cling film wrap of 13.3g of heroin of 48% purity and a plastic package of 20.7g of crack cocaine of 84% purity,” he said.
The total value of the drugs recovered was £8,460 and the total of cash was £3,172.71.
The phones were also analysed and showed various messages and flare messages between users and the drug line.
Sparrow was recalled and later released on June 14 this year having been marked as released under investigation by police.
However, on July 21, officers became aware he was a passenger in a Citroen being driven dangerously in Cheetham Hill. After he exited the car he went into an address on Waterloo Road where he was later arrested.
“Inside his jacket pockets were a tightly wrapped white package and a quantity of cash,” Mr Worsfold continued.
“Two mobile phones were seized from the kitchen floor, having been discarded by the defendant: an iPhone and a black Nokia.
“A man bag was also seized from the hallway, and was found to contain a further quantity of cash.”
The white package was analysed and found to contain 72 wraps of heroin and four wraps of crack cocaine. The cash recovered was £2,308.79.
Analysis of the Nokia phone showed it was being used as the ‘Dyno’ line.
Sparrow was said to have 32 previous convictions for 67 offences including for drugs offences and conspiracy to rob, for which he was jailed for 56 months.
In mitigation, his lawyer Dan Gaskell said this was a ‘classic case of street dealing’. He said Sparrow was a relatively ‘low level player’, and was one of a number of people who was running the drugs line.
“He was one of a group of young men, of similar age, who had been operating on behalf of others,” Mr Gaskell said.
“He came out of prison during the COVID lockdown, he was unable to find work, he was out of work, and in the early period of this year he went back to dealing drugs.
“He knew he could make money, albeit a relatively limited amount.”
Mr Gaskell said he acquired considerable debt after he was arrested, and the drugs were seized by the police. After serving the 10 weeks left on his licence, he continued offending to repay that debt.
He added that he had recently become a father for the first time and recognises the problem with drugs.
Sentencing, the judge, Recorder Jon Close, said: “Once you were back in that lifestyle, you found it difficult to escape it.
“You are in a revolving door, you go to prison, you come out and go back in again.
“If you want to be present for your children, if you want to see her grow up, this has to stop.”
Sparrow, of Crown House, was jailed for 54 months.
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