He gave himself away after driving into a 'no entry' area
Darren Swaine, a ventilation engineer from Hull, was using the postal service to distribute drugs. (Image: Via Facebook)
A cannabis dealer was caught with a pile of envelopes in his van, all ready to be posted out to customers, with stashes of the drug inside them.
Darren Swaine, a ventilation engineer, was using the postal service to distribute the drugs. But he gave himself way after driving into a "no entry" area, attracting the attention of the police, Hull Crown Court heard.
Swaine, 41, of Ashendon Drive, east Hull, admitted being concerned in producing cannabis and two offences of possessing criminal property on August 27, 2020.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, prosecuting, said police in Dorchester Road, Hull, spotted a Ford Transit van driven by Swaine go through a "no entry" sign. He was seen using his mobile phone. They followed him to Frampton Close.
There was a strong smell of cannabis on Swaine and his phone and van were searched. Two further phones were found and empty containers, as well as cannabis and syringes. The drugs seized from the van had a street value of £560.
There were envelopes, each with a name on them, ready to be posted. "Post Office receipts were seized from the defendant," said Miss Kioko-Gilligan. "He was distributing the drugs that he was selling through the postal network."
Bank statements found showed a number of different payments into his account from numerous different people. His home was searched and more mobile phones were found as well as drugs equipment, a large amount of drugs and cash.
The total potential street value of the cannabis seized was £26,840. Police also found 17 cannabis plants, with a potential street value yield of £9,350. Drug dealing messages were on a phone.
Swaine had convictions for seven previous offences, mainly for violence and dishonesty, but he had one for possessing Ecstasy in 2000. Holly Thompson, mitigating, said that Swaine's cannabis use increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and he bought growing equipment, leading to his use spiralling out of control.
Swaine, a self-employed ventilation engineer, had made "incredibly irresponsible decisions" but he wanted to move on with his life, Miss Kioko-Gilligan added. He had worked since leaving school and assisted a friend with a business selling signs. He had an 18-year-old son and, apart from these offences, had "knocked his offending on the head".
Judge Sophie McKone told Swaine: "You had a relatively professional operation going on, growing cannabis and using the postal service to supply it. This was an enterprise that you involved yourself in where you expected to make a significant profit.
"You had a leading role in that enterprise. It was your enterprise. Cannabis does blight the lives of people. It can cause very serious problems for people in society. It's not treated as a harmless, innocent drug. It's a harmful drug."
Swaine was jailed for two years and three months.