Garforth crack-cocaine custodian found with scales, hydraulic press and live ammunition
He avoided jail after “turning his life around”
A raid on a suburban home uncovered a large amount of crack cocaine, cutting agents and a hydraulic press.
Officers also found 9mm bullets when they raided the Garforth property and arrested Andrew Sharp.
The 37-year-old was spared custody at Leeds Crown Court in what the judge said was a “rare move”, because he had made attempts to change his life.
The court heard that a warrant was executed for the property on Halliday Road in Garforth on the morning of March 22, 2024.
He was detained in a bedroom as the search of his premises began.
They eventually located just over three packages of crack cocaine weighing 71 grammes and with a street value of just over £1,000, and a small quantity of cocaine.
They also found 1.3kg of benzocaine - often used to mix with cocaine to make it go further and increase profits.
The hydraulic press was found - often associated with packing up drugs for onward sale - along with weighing scales and the six bullets, prosecutor Zanisha Herbert said.
During his police interview, he said he had found the bullets in a golf caddy that he bought from a car-boot sale and kept them.
He said he was storing the drugs for another person whom he refused to name, but said the scales were to weigh out the drugs he takes. In addition, he said the press was for car mechanic reasons.
He admitted dealing in Class A drugs, possession of Class A drugs and possession of ammunition without a certificate.
Sharp, of Primrose Hill Garth, Swillington, has six previous convictions for 11 offences, including drug dealing from 2017.
Mitigating, Glenn Parsons said there had been “some duress” after Sharp admitted he had built up a drug debt of around £1,300 that he could not pay back, so was asked to store the crack cocaine.
A probation report suggested Sharp felt “backed into a corner” but regretted his actions.
He had been working as a labourer but had set up his own vehicle-recovery business.
Judge Simon Phillips opted not to jail him, instead giving a suspended sentence under the new, relaxed guidelines.
He was given a 30-month sentence, suspended for 24 months and ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation days with probation.
He told Sharp: “It’s one of those rare cases that the court can draw back from an immediate custodial sentence.
“You have made attempts to turn your life around.”
Under the new sentencing guidelines, in a bid to ease overcrowding in prisons, sentences of up to three years can now be suspended.
The maximum suspendible sentence was previously two years.