A landscaper was offered £500 for extra services by one of his clients and ended up in jail because of it. Michael Young hid a kilo of cocaine at his home on behalf of his former client in exchange for cash.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Friday, that Merseyside Police executed a search warrant at the 27-year-old’s address on Snowberry Road in Dovecot on August 26, 2022. Officers discovered a rucksack behind the sofa which contained four sandwich bags filled with cocaine, Class A drugs weighing a total of 56g and with a wholesale value of up to £3,000, as well as 10 other tied plastic packages of 108g of crack cocaine with an estimated value of £4,500.
Shannon Stewart, prosecuting, described how another 978g block of cocaine worth an estimated £40,000 was recovered from a bedroom. Officers also seized bags of cannabis resin, four mobile phones, a laptop, an iPad and a set of scales.
Young was present at the time of the raid and was arrested at the scene. When questioned, the father-of-three told investigators he had been “asked to store” the class A drugs when the cannabis was intended for his “personal use”.
He has three previous convictions for driving offences in 2015, for which he was fined. Defence barrister Simran Garcha told the court: “I submit that Mr Young performed a limited function under management and had a limited function within the chain, with little knowledge or understanding of the operation.
“I can see the level of drugging he was asked to be careful of, but that was it. He takes full responsibility for his offending behaviour and he is ashamed and contrite. He was very emotional when I spoke to him this morning. I think his remorse is genuine.
“He had a particularly difficult start in life. He has been working full-time since he was 16. He worked various jobs as a labourer in warehouses and became a landscaper in 2019. He now has three children and he wanted to give their children everything in life.
“He was in a relationship with the mother of these children for eight years. That relationship began to deteriorate and eventually she left Mr Young and gave up caring for these three children. At the time, their youngest was only two months old. She left the responsibility of caring for these children to Mr Young.
“He took it upon himself to care for them full time and found it difficult to work, leading him to give up work to care for his children. He applied for benefits but had to wait seven weeks before receiving any payment. He found it very difficult to provide for his children. The person who asked the defendant to arrange the medication was a client of his when he was a landscaper.
“He became an acquaintance of his. This individual learned of Mr Young’s financial difficulties and offered to help him by dealing with the drugs. He was offered in return a sum of £500, which he would receive when the drugs were recovered. Of course, this was not recovered.
“He deeply regrets his actions and is devastated that as a result of his offending behaviour he will be incarcerated and will no longer be able to see his children. He has arranged for his children to be cared for by their mother and she has reluctantly agreed to look after them.
“He was starting to get his life back on track. He is in a happy and healthy relationship. They have been together for a year and have bought their own home. She continues to support him. This type of offending is completely out of character for him. There is no doubt that this type of offence will serve as a significant deterrent to any future recidivism.”
Young admitted possession of cocaine and crack cocaine with intent to supply and possession of cannabis. He was sentenced to three years in prison. Sentencing, Lord Justice Edis said: “This was a large quantity of drugs worth a lot of money, and you were performing an important function for the owner of the drugs, whoever they were, and you intended to make a lot of money from them. This was a case where you were hoping to make money from what you were doing.
“It was only £500, which is a small amount compared to the value of the drugs, but it is a significant factor nonetheless. The person who had the drugs obviously trusted you. You don’t leave a kilo of cocaine in a place where you think someone might call the police or take it. The person who entrusted you with that amount of money knew they could trust you.
“You have no previous significant convictions. This will be your first prison sentence. You have three young children to look after. You have had serious financial difficulties. So I am prepared to accept the reason why you became involved in drug trafficking for profit – to support your family. It was not a situation you chose.”
Young responded: “Thank you, Your Honor. Thank you.” He then greeted his supporters in the public gallery as he was led to the cells and added: “I love you. I’ll call you tonight.”
