Shrewsbury addict allowed flat to be a drug warehouse

Paul Jones was arrested last August when police raided his home in Wyle Cop and recovered drugs with a potential street value of almost £18,000.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday Jones was given a 12 month community order which includes a drug rehabilitation, alcohol treatment and activity programmes.

Judge Peter Barrie said that Jones been in possession of high grade cocaine and clearly part of a significant dealing operation, but had played a lesser role.

Jones had pleaded guilty to two offences of being in possession of a quantity of cocaine with intent to supply and possession of cannabis.

The court heard that Jones flat was in an alleyway at Wyle Cop close to the Nags Head pub and access was by use of an intercom system.

Mr Philip Beardwell, prosecuting, police searched the flat and found cocaine in a plant pot hidden behind the kick board under the kitchen sink.

Another bag of the drug was found on the outside ledge of the kitchen window, cannabis was recovered from a cupboard and plastic bags and scales.

Mr Beardwell said £135 in cash and mobile phones were also seized by police in the raid in August last year.

Analysis of the substances showed that the cocaine was of a very high purity level and could have resulted in a street sales of up to £16,750 and messages on the mobile phones were consistent with the supply of drugs.

The court heard that Jones later told police that he was not the owner of drugs and was acting as a "warehouse man" to pay off a drug debt.

Mr Beardwell said the prosecution accepted that Jones had been acting under a "degree of pressure" but the purity of the cocaine indicated that the owner of the drugs was someone close to the direct source of the importation.