Seat-belt offence catches out Leeds estate agent holding £5,000 worth of cocaine and cash

Cameron Idrees was driving a VW Golf when officers flagged him down on Lady Pit Lane in Beeston on June 28 when they noticed he was not belted up.

The 24-year-old stopped, but panicked and got out and ran, Leeds Crown Court was told. He was chased down and quickly detained and was then heard to say in Punjabi that something was “under the truck”.

The police officer who caught up with him then retraced his steps from the foot chase and found 88 small bags of cocaine worth a total of £3,300 and £2,000 in cash thrown under a van, prosecutor Caroline Abraham said.

They also seized four mobile phones from him. Idrees, of Stratford Terrace, Beeston, told police that threats had been made to him and his family unless he sold the drugs.

He admitted possession of cocaine with an intent to supply, and possessing criminal property. He has one previous conviction for robbery from when he was a youth for which he was given two years’ detention.

Mitigating, Marte Alnaes said: “There’s no doubt it’s a serious offence but this is very much a one off, arising out of problems he is trying to deal with.

"He is more than capable of being a law-abiding citizen, the issue here boils down to drug use. It’s unlikely he will find himself in a criminal court again.”

She said that Idrees, who continues to work as an estate agent, had admitted it was a “stupid mistake” to have started taking drugs, which led to the debt.

The judge, Recorder Michael Wheeler told Idrees: “You were effectively running drugs to pay off that debt. It appears to come from your recreational drug use.”

He acknowledged that he was still in employment in a “responsible job” and so was persuaded no to lock him up. He gave him a 24-month jail sentence, but suspended it for 24 months, along with 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 200 hours of unpaid work.