A dealer caught with bags of cocaine in his car just metres from arriving at work has been jailed.
Former Sunderland Football Club shop worker Gary Boughton turned to selling the class A drugs to ease his financial worries. He was just 200m from work in his Vauxhall Astra when police pulled him over on the outskirts of Newcastle city centre at 8.25am on November 5 last year.
When informed his car would be searched for drugs, he told police they would find some in a compartment under the steering wheel. Having recovered 19 wraps of cocaine, weighing 7g, he was told his home would be searched and he again told officers where they would find more narcotics. One package of cocaine weighing 30.5g was seized, along with 18 deals weighing 6.5g.
Read more: Sunderland pervert who abused three-year-old girl jailed for breaching sex offenders register rules
Boughton, 40, of Denbigh Avenue, Sunderland, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply and was jailed for 28 months at Newcastle Crown Court.
Judge Robert Adams told him: "You ended up selling drugs to members of the public to sort out your financial difficulties. You bought a property hoping the family would move in but the relationship ended and you struggled financially trying to establish the home, pay for the mortgage and deal with maintenance.
"A friend at work suggested selling cocaine to remove the pressure. It was suggested you bought a block for £1,600 every month and anything you sold over £1,600 would be profit. It appears it spiralled out of control. Some of the people you sold to were unreliable and you made little money."
The court heard he cares for his seriously ill 91-year-old grandmother and neither her nor his children were aware he was facing prison. Judge Adams said there were references from people who know Boughton saying his offending was out of character.
He added: "This is a very sad case, someone with no previous convictions getting involved in this very serious activity.
Rachel Hedworth, defending, said: "He fully accepts what he has done is completely wrong and fails to comprehend how on earth he got involved in the first instance. He was about 200m from his workplace when he was arrested. He was arrested in front of his employer and got told he needed to resign. He has now got a better job.
"He is someone who has been completely hard working. He previously worked at Sunderland Football Club in the shop and had a brief stint in the army.
"He utterly regrets it and fully accepts he should be going to prison for this but his biggest concern is for his family."
Read next:
- Ponteland pensioner admits smothering her 81-year-old husband after a disagreement over finances
- Stakeford pervert jailed for attempted rape and sexual assault of two schoolgirls
- Kind woman sexually assaulted by North Shields man she allowed to stay at her home for the night
- £1m Roker explosion victim lost everything and cat died when neighbour cut gas pipe and flicked lighter
- Elswick thug attacked girlfriend with mop handle and smashed through her window armed with a knife
