Leeds drug boss who ran cross-county phone lines is jailed - but may only serve a third of sentence
He sent out tens of thousands of messages to addicts to drum up business
A drugs boss who ran two lucrative phone lines which sold crack cocaine and heroin has been locked up - but has been told he may only serve a third of his sentence.
Kian McCormack used the lucrative lines to direct runners to drop off drugs and sent out tens of thousands of messages to addicts to advertise prices.
The 23-year-old appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he admitted four counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
He was jailed for three years and nine months, but under the early-release proposals was told by the judge he may just serve around 15 months.
The court heard that police went to an address in Beeston on October 31 last year where McCormack was, but he escaped before they had chance to arrest him.
However, he left behind two burner phones on which they found masses of bulk advertising messages selling crack cocaine and heroin.
Then on February 17 this year, a drug dealer was arrested and his phone seized.
It was the same line as the burner phones recovered, albeit with a new number, and it showed messages from McCormack directing the dealer to drop offs, and asking him how many deals he had left.
Over 15,000 advertising messages had been sent from the phones in the space of a few months and it was found that dealing was taking place between Leeds and York.
Police finally caught up with McCormack on June 9, arresting him from a taxi in Leeds in which he was a passenger.
He had two phones stashed under the seat which covered the previous drugs line, and another line from which another 11,000 messages had been sent.
McCormack, formerly of Cardinal Square in Beeston, but now of no fixed address, gave a largely no-comment police interview, but denied being a drug dealer.
After finally pleading guilty, he said he had been a cocaine user himself and had run up a debt, so was given the choice of being put to work to sell drugs, which he accepted.
He also confessed he was given a weekly wage.
McCormack, who appeared in court over a video link from HMP Leeds, has previous convictions for possessing drugs, but none for selling.
Mitigating, Giles Grant said that he was still a young man with his own drug addiction, but had taken steps to address this while on remand.
Judge Richard Mansell KC acknowledged McCormack was still relatively young, had no previous drug-dealing offences and had his own drug issues.
He reduced his sentence as a result, but said he may only serve a fraction due to the Government controversial proposals.