A man was sentenced to more than three years in prison after being discovered with 58 wraps of crack and heroin in his bum.
Tyrone Grimes, 25, was ‘threatening’ towards police they spotted him trying to carry out a suspected drug deal in Widnes, Cheshire, on May 11.
However, the young father told a court that he turned to drug dealing to help pay for his mother’s funeral while also raising a young child.
After being detained when his Citroen Berlingo was pulled over on Hale Road, he allegedly ‘tried to struggle.’
When he was strip-searched at Cheshire Police’s northern custody suite, officers discovered the drugs – in £10 deals worth £580 in total.
Paul Wood, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court: ‘He was uncooperative and threatening with the police and made a number of derogatory comments.
‘A packet of 29 wraps of diamorphine (heroin) and 29 wraps of cocaine was discovered during a strip search.’
On May 1, he sent a flare message to advertise Class B drugs, according to a search of a burner phone.
During a police questioning, Grimes remained silent, but a narcotics specialist stated the drugs discovered were “compatible with onward sale.”
Defending attorney Carmel Wilde said he turned to drug dealing after his mother died of cancer and he was in financial trouble.
After the bereavement, the 25-year-old, who had previously worked as a mechanic, was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder.
‘He was taken aback. He wasn’t working any longer and, regrettably, chose to become involved in this wrongdoing,’ Ms Wilde said.
‘He couldn’t think of anything else.’ He doesn’t offer it as an excuse, but rather as context.’
He didn’t use drugs himself, she said, but he did find himself ‘dwindling into depression’ and ‘building up significant debts.’
Grimes had three convictions for five offenses, according to the court, and had been recalled to prison on license following his arrest in Widnes.
Conspiracy to supply a Class B drug and possessing a prohibited weapon were among his convictions.
Before Chester Magistrates’ Court on May 12, Grimes pled guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply a Class A narcotic, specifically heroin and crack cocaine, and one count of acquiring or using unlawful goods.
In connection with his detention on May 11, he was charged with assaulting an emergency worker, but the event was deemed ‘low level’ in court, and the matter was dismissed.
‘Drugs damage lives,’ Grimes was told by Judge David Aubrey, QC, as he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
‘It was two different medications. Drugs destroy people’s life. They generate pain and desperation, and you should be well aware of that,’ he said.
Grimes’ sentence was lowered from five years to three years as a result of his guilty pleas.
In respect to an application to seize the Citroen Berlingo, a temporary timeline was agreed upon.
Meanwhile, the judge ordered that the £146.30 taken from Grimes’ pocket after his arrest be donated to charity.