29/08/2022
🟠 DERBY DRUG DEALER CAUGHT AFTER LEAVING £1,000 LOUIS VITTON BAG IN CAB AS SECURITY FOR THE FARE
Derby Crown Court heard how Montell Tinsley handed the city cabbie the bag as a guarantee while he went to get cash to pay to his fare.
But after waiting five minutes and believing the 27-year-old had fled without paying, the driver returned to base.
Derby Telegraph reports that when staff looked in the bag they found a knife and called the police who arrested the enraged defendant when he turned up to collect it.
In his wallet they found wraps of co***ne and after being released on bail for that offence he was later found in a Derby drug addict's flat with more wraps of class As. And in a letter written to the judge from behind bars, Tinsley even cheekily asked to be released immediately.
Jailing him for three years and nine months, Judge Robert Egbuna said: "All of the references I have read from your family tell me how you are an exemplary son and you have a supportive siblings and mother. Clearly you are a bright and intelligent young man who sadly decided to get involved in the drugs trade. But the drugs trade not only causes death, it causes untold misery.
"You were not using drugs but you were buying and selling it and you were clearly making money from it. You were steeped in the supply of class A drugs and I hope you feel ashamed. It is a sad stat of affairs that a young man like you finds himself in this position, a young man with such potential who throws it away."
Sarah Slater, prosecuting, said the first incident took place on July 9 last year when Tinsley caught a taxi to an address in Duffield Road. She said he did not have any cash on him so left his £1,000 bag with the driver while he went to get some.
The prosecutor said the driver waited for five minutes and then left believing the defendant was not returning with his fare. Miss Slater said: "The taxi driver received an incoming call from the same number which had booked the taxi, it was the defendant who made threats to smash up the taxi and demanded that his bag was returned.
"The driver though returned to base and looked inside the bag. He saw a knife which was in a brown sheath and around 7-8” long. He spoke to office staff and phoned the police. The defendant turned up at the taxi office and was arrested also searched and in his pockets a wallet was found which contained 1.24g of co***ne divided into three deals with a street value of between £60 and £150."
Miss Slater said a search of the Duffield Road address revealed digital scales, dealer bag and analysis of the defendant's phone made it clear he had mainly been dealing cannabis. She said after being bailed for these offences, the second incident took place on January 12 of this year.
The prosecutor said: "Officers were on duty in Searle Street, Derby when they saw (co defendant) Ayshea Mohammodian-Khansary conduct a drugs exchange. She then returned to her home address but then was seen to exit for a second time and again conducted a drugs exchange with a known drug user.
"She detained and dropped three wraps and was then asked if she had the key to her property and told police that the door was unlocked. They entered and found Montell Tinsley inside, he was leaning over a small table in the living room with his back to them as they entered.
"There were numerous brown and white Rizla packets on the table, he turned and tried to hide something in his waistband. The drugs recovered were 79 wraps of he**in with a total street value of £790; 29 wraps of crack and a further underweight 1g deal of he**in.
During a search of the flat other exhibits were seized including uncut he**in, two phones, a flick knife and police also found £150 on the defendant and later searched in Walter Street, Derby and seized an axe and a bag of cannabis.
"Analysis of the phones found mass marketing messages including one reading 'active West End fat shots' the West End being a reference to that area of Derby."
Alison Downs, mitigating, said her client is a diabetic, suffers with epilepsy and intends to enrol on an Open University degree after being sentenced. She said: "He has let down his family and let himself down, his desire on release is to become a psychologist and help other people. He wants to keep away from the wrong path which he took."
Tinsley pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply co***ne, cannabis, offering to supply co***ne and possession of a bladed article. He has no previous convictions.
