A drugs warehouser caught with a "small mountain" of narcotics was told the fact he was "preyed upon" could not be used as a get out of jail free card.
When police carried out a bust at Mark Simmonette's then-home in Walker, Newcastle, they found heroin, cocaine, crack, cannabis and other drugs worth more than £100,000. Newcastle Crown Court heard the 33-year-old was "vulnerable" and was storing most of the drugs for others.
But a judge said a prison sentence must be imposed to deter others from allowing themselves to be used by gangs to warehouse drugs. Jailing him for 30 months, Recorder Toby Hedworth KC said: "In July last year police visited your home and found a substantial stash of drugs. The prosecution has material which I have not seen to suggest what you say about the drugs is correct.
