A teenage drug dealer has been jailed for five years after officers on a proactive patrol to tackle gangs found him in possession of cocaine and heroin.
Abid Khan, 18, of Letchworth Road, Luton, was in a car with two other people that was tailed by officers from Bedfordshire Police’s Boson guns and gangs unit on January 7.
The officers were suspicious about the vehicle and what its occupants were doing out together in the middle of lockdown.
The car pulled up to a newsagents and Khan got out. However, the car was soon driven away as the officers’ marked police vehicle parked nearby.
Officers spoke to Khan and felt they had grounds to stop and search him.
They discovered the teenager had around 80 bags of white and brown substances in his possession, which tests later proved to be crack cocaine and heroin.
Khan was also found to have cash and a so-called ‘burner phone’ in his possession, with these cheap handsets often used by drug dealers to sell their products.
Examinations of messages on the phone suggested that it was being used to sell drugs.
Khan pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.
The teenager also pleaded guilty to breaching a suspended sentence order, having been convicted of possession with intent to supply both cocaine and heroin in November.
On Friday, January 29, at Luton Crown Court, Khan was sentenced to three years for the offences in January as well as a further two years for the previous drugs supply offences.
Detective Inspector Mark Pugh said: “Young people should be under no illusions about the harsh consequences they face if they get involved in drug dealing.
“Abid will now spend years of his life in custody, but the impact of this sentence will last even longer. Getting a criminal record can stop you furthering your education, getting a job or travelling overseas.
“He may look back later in his life and regret his choices as a young man, and I would really encourage anyone in a similar position at a similar age not to make the same mistakes.
“There are support services out there specifically set up to help people like Abid get out and stay out of trouble.
“They are not the police and really want to work with and support young people like Abid to avoid spending what should be some of the best years of their life behind bars.”
Last year the number of serious youth violence incidents fell by around nine per cent in Bedfordshire, equivalent to around 200 fewer victims of such offences.
The Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU) is a specialist service set up to work with young people and families affected by things like knife crime, county lines and child criminal exploitation.
For more information or to make a referral please visit bedsveru.org.uk
