Leeds DJ found with £4,000 worth of MDMA jailed after police raid his home

Josemar Da Silva, 32, was convicted after a trial at Leeds Crown Court of possession with intent to distribute Class A drugs.

Prosecutor Nicola Hoskins told the court how police raided Da Silva’s property on June 19 2024, after he was involved in a violent altercation with a firearm, whereupon they discovered a large supply of MDMA drugs, with an estimated street value of £3,960.

The 32-year-old, who has four previous convictions including robbery and dangerous driving, was hosting parties and working as a DJ out of his Armley home as a way to make money when he began taking and supplying MDMA.

A probation officer told the court how since his arrest Da Silva had taken steps to change his lifestyle, received counselling to address his previous struggles with mental illness and had rebuilt a good relationship with the mother of his children.

In mitigation, defence counsel Eddison Flint told the court how his client was not the primary drug dealer in the operation but had been “trusted to hold the drugs.” He has gained a full-time job working on the railways, and provides financially for his children who he sees every week.

Passing sentence, Judge Neil Clark accepted that Da Silva was supplying on a “smaller scale,” and was holding and assisting in the breakdown of the drugs for someone else.

He jailed him for three years and six months.