A DRUG dealer who hid up to £42,000 worth of cocaine in woods near his home – and had £12,290 in cash indoors – has been jailed for seven years and eight months.
Darren Anthony Reece (53) had 61 previous convictions, the Royal Court heard yesterday, including another prison sentence for supplying cocaine from ten years ago.
Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit, prosecuting, said that on 18 February this year the police found the drugs wrapped in plastic, wedged in a tree in woodland in St Brelade. The packaging was found to bear Reece’s fingerprints.
The drugs weighed 279.04 grams. A drugs expert calculated that the cocaine could have a street value of between £33,600 and £42,000 if sold in standard one-gram quantities.
At Reece’s home, the police also found cash in bundles of £50, £20 and £10 notes believed to come from selling drugs.
In interview, Reece refused to comment and pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court to the two charges of possession of drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property – the cash from selling drugs.
It was not until his indictment at the Royal Court on 8 May that he changed his plea to guilty of both charges, and Advocate Maletroit said the Crown had had to undertake ‘a significant amount of extra work’ preparing a prosecution case because of his initial not-guilty plea.
He said Reece was ‘at the high end of moderate’ risk of reoffending and said: ‘Being involved in the supply of class A drugs must attract a custodial sentence.’ He recommended a sentence of 8½ years.
Advocate Julia-Anne Dix, defending, accepted jail was inevitable but argued for a sentence of seven years and eight months. She said Reece was from Cardiff and he was planning to move back to the city permanently to be his parents’ full-time carer.
She added that Reece’s relationship with the mother of his children had broken down.
‘He was devastated,’ she said. ‘He started mixing with the wrong people and fell back into old habits.’
The advocate said Reece realised he was going to jail but added: ‘He hopes that his parents are still alive afterwards. He is going to miss his daughter’s wedding.
‘He knows he has only got himself to blame. He sincerely regrets the hurt he has caused.’
During sentencing, Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae said: ‘We accept that both your parents are in poor health and would rely on you if you were at liberty. It is unfortunate that you are unable to assist them in their hour of need – but that is a consequence of your offending.’
The Jurats sitting were Pam Pitman, Elizabeth Dulake and Andrew Cornish.
After the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Jim McGranahan, who heads the Drug Squad, said: ‘Almost all of the investigations we carry out concerning drugs are complex and time-consuming.
‘We continue to work hard alongside other agencies to ensure that the work put into each operation pays off. We’ll continue to keep our community safe and protect the most vulnerable from the harm these drugs can cause.’
