A drugs line run by two brothers was uncovered after one was pulled over alongside his girlfriend - who had £350 and cocaine in her Tommy Hilfiger bag.
Daniel Dean, 31, and Melissa Garcia, 27, were spotted in a white Audi, and were pulled over by police. Upon searching the car, officers found the cash, along with a number of wraps of ‘white powder’ in the designer bag.
They also found five mobile phones, all with evidence of drug dealing. After examining the phone, officers arrested Daniel’s brother, Marcus Dean, at his house in Reddish, and found cocaine and a drug debtor’s list.
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Text messages on the phones showed that Daniel Dean and Garcia, both of Hyde, were out selling drugs on behalf of Marcus, 30.
All eventually pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply class A drugs, and both brothers were jailed at Minshull Street Crown Court. Garcia was handed a suspended sentence.
Prosecuting, Imran Khan said that on October 6, 2018, officers saw the white Audi travelling in Stockport. As they pulled up behind it at a junction it took off at speed and so officers followed. The Audi pulled onto Hardon Grove, which turned out to be a dead end.
“The officers approached the car, the driver was Daniel Dean and Melissa Garcia was in the front passenger seat,” Mr Khan said.
“Daniel Dean was searched, no drugs were found. Officers then conducted a search of the Audi and near the front passenger seat they found a blue Tommy Hilfiger bag containing a large quantity of cash and several snapbags of white powder.
“They also seized five mobile phones from the central reservation of the car.”
Evidence on the phone revealed the conspiracy with Daniel’s brother, Marcus, who was arrested on January 21, 2019. His phone was also seized and officers found a small amount of cocaine and a debtors list.
Messages on Garcia’s phone indicated that she was supplying class A drugs, and there was also evidence of a debt list in the ‘notes’ section of her phone. This showed how much money was owed.
She was also saved as ‘My Princess’ in Daniel Dean’s phone contacts, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Other messages on the five phones showed they were being used as a drugs line, with 31 messages being sent to suspected drug users. In one, Daniel Dean said: “New number, Danny Dean.”
“It is the prosecution’s case that Daniel Dean and his girlfriend, Melissa Garcia, were out selling drugs on October 6 on behalf of Marcus Dean,” Mr Khan added.
Both Marcus and Daniel Dean were said to have previous convictions, none of which were of similar offending. Garcia had no previous convictions.
For Marcus Dean, his barrister Rob Kearney said he had separated from his partner and was sleeping on people’s sofas at the time. He then began selling the drugs he used ‘recreationally’.
“A choice he now deeply regrets,” Mr Kearney said. “He was engaged in an operation with his brother and his brother’s girlfriend. It was small scale.”
He added that since the offending, his client has gone on to gain full time employment, running a roofing business.
For Daniel Dean, Adam Roxborough said he got involved as a ‘direct result of his addiction’. He added that his client was ‘not the prime mover’.
And for Garcia, Thomas McKail said: “There was a sense of misguided loyalty to her partner.”
Sentencing, Judge John Potter said: “The reason why people deal in class A drugs is because they expect to receive significant financial gain. Class A drugs are really corrosive in our community.
“Drug users who take class A drugs cause harm to themselves - something at least one of you has got personal experience of. What those drug users do to fund their habit is to commit crime - something at least one of you was doing at the time.
“Committing that crime and causing harm to innocent people in our community.”
Marcus Dean, of Woodhall Road, was jailed for four years; Daniel Dean, of Green Street, was jailed for three years and seven months; and Garcia, of Green Street, was handed two years imprisonment which was suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and 250 hours of unpaid work.
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