A university student who made £10k selling laughing gas outside of a pub has avoided jail. Kiasar Markl, 22, was caught by police with 3,000 nitrous oxide canisters.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the defendant was selling the illegal substance last year near the Lighthouse Inn in Merseyside. The Liverpool Echo reports that police arrested the 22-year-old outside the pub on June 4 2022.
The court heard earlier this week that the undergraduate's flat was raided following his arrest. The authorities discovered around 3,000 nitrous oxide canisters on him and at the address.
The defendant was reported to have been selling boxes of the psychoactive substance at a going rate of 20 for £5 each. Officers found cash totalling £10,280 in Markl's bedroom.
He admitted possession of a psychoactive substance with intent to supply and possession of criminal property and was handed an eight-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months. The 22-year-old was also ordered to carry out unpaid work.
Marlowe, who has no previous convictions, is now continuing his studies. Sentencing, Judge David Swinnerton said: "Nitrous oxide is not harmless.
"It is not as harmful as heroin or crack cocaine. If you were selling those, you would be going to prison for a long time.
"But it is harmful. It can cause death.
"That possibility is a rare one, but nonetheless you were making a lot of money from selling illegal something that is illegal and potentially harmful. You described what you were doing as stupidity, but it was also greed.
"I accept you were naive. If you had thought about the consequences, I don't suppose you would have done it. I will treat you as someone foolish and naive and who does genuinely regret it.
"You are going to have to rebuild your reputation. I hope sincerely that you have learned your lesson from this.
"Time will tell."
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