A DRUG dealer has been jailed after being found in possession of more than £1,000 worth of cannabis and a knuckleduster.
The court heard how police officers were called to the home of Martin Shepherd, of Lyster Close in Birchwood, to execute a drugs warrant.
Shepherd, 39, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one count of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and a second count of possession of an offensive weapon.
Prosecuting, Joshua Sanderson-Kirk said the incident happened on April 22.
He said that upon raiding his home, officers found Shepherd along with his stash of cannabis amounting to 230.4g with a street price of more than £1,370.
Officers found drug paraphernalia including weighing scales and four mobile phones which indicated his role in the drug trade.
They also discovered £320 in cash and a knuckleduster.
The court heard that through evidence of texts sent it seemed the cannabis had been sold in smaller quantities of £20 per bag.
Shepherd, who has had 10 previous convictions, was already serving a community order for a similar offence of intent to supply cannabis from November last year, with the order set to finish in December.
Mr Sanderson-Kirk referred to the large amount of cannabis recovered by the police, saying: “Mr Shepherd said the items were for his own personal use.”
He then told the court that when Shepherd was asked about the offensive weapon found he told the interviewer, ‘He thought the knuckleduster was a paper weight as a gift from a friend’.
Defending, Myles Wilson said that Shepherd’s progress report was ‘startling’ with him making various improvements to his life since the arrest in April.
“The penny seems to have dropped for Martin Shepherd,” Mr Wilson said.
He explained that when Shepherd was arrested, he ‘hit rock bottom’ but since then he has stopped using cannabis and has found employment.
Source: https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/23208088.birchwood-drug-dealer-caught-1k-worth-cannabis/
