A former law student and paralegal was caught red-handed waiting for a customer to buy cocaine from him.
Plain clothes police officers arrested Sabbir Ahmed on Swansea's Wind Street after becoming suspicious of his behaviour and was found to be carrying two coke deals - a further 19 deals were found in the glovebox of his nearby car. Swansea Crown Court heard a subsequent search of the defendant's phone found extensive messaging on Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Telegram about the buying and selling of cocaine, including from the day of his arrest when a contact had ordered "1 to Wind Street".
Brian Simpson, prosecuting, said on the evening of February 4 this year plain clothes police officers on patrol in Swansea city centre saw Ahmed on Wind Street - he was on his phone and appeared to be waiting for someone to arrive, and "due to his demeanour" they stopped him. The court heard that when he was searched he was found to be carrying £200 in cash, two wraps of cocaine, and a set of car keys. Officers located the defendant's Ford Focus parked nearby, and in the glove box they found a further 19 wraps of the Class A drug.
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The court heard the 26-year-old defendant refused to provide the PIN for his phone but police were nevertheless able to access it, and on the device they found conversations in the WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Telegram apps as well as text messages relating to the buying and selling of cocaine or "Charlie", some dating back as far as 2020. One of the messages dated on the day of Ahmed's arrest referred to delivering "1 to Wind Street". A search of the defendant's parents' house where he lived uncovered bags with traces of white powder in his attic bedroom.
In his police interview Ahmed initially denied having been on Wind Street to sell drugs - but later admitted that was in fact the case. He said he was in debt to somebody who he referred to only as K and was being forced to work for him, and he said K would put drugs in the glove compartment of his car which he would then access as needed.
Sabbir Ahmed, of Phoebe Road, Copper Quarter, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply and to being concerned in the supply of cocaine when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has two previous convictions for four offences, none of which are drug-related.
Hywel Davies, for Ahmed, said his client had a law degree from Swansea University and had worked as a paralegal in London and for the NHS during the Covid pandemic. He said the defendant had become homeless in 2022 following a falling out with his family over his drug use, and as his addiction spiralled out of control he and had then become involved in drug supply both to fund his own habit and to earn funds to provide somewhere to live. The barrister it was accepted that Ahmed faced a custodial sentence, and he said that upon his release from prison the defendant was keen to find employment working with other young men who find themselves in similar situations.
With discounts for his guilty pleas Recorder Simon Hughes sentenced Ahmed to two-and-a-half years in prison - he will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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