Dealer stashed near-pure cocaine worth £120,000 at his grandmother's house in Yorkshire

Georgie Norton was described as a "trusted" member of a drugs gang during a sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court, where he was handed a seven-and-a-half-year sentence.

The 26-year-old admitted multiple drug-dealing charges after being caught out by police three times.

Outlining the case, Carmel Pearson said that police first executed a warrant at a house on Plumpton Place, near Wakefield city centre, on August 19, 2019, where Norton was living at the time.

Police covered the front and back of the property, and even removed a toilet pipe from the outside of the building beforehand, suspecting the occupants may attempt to flush the drugs, which they did as officers entered the building.

Four packages were recovered from the pipe, while drugs were also found around the property.

In total, they found 72.3 grammes of Class A drugs, including cocaine, crack and heroin separated into hundreds of dealer bags.

They also found 259 grammes of cannabis. The total value of the drugs was more than £5,400. Norton was arrested along with two others. Their case is yet to be brought to court.

Then on August 6 last year, while Norton was still on bail, they raided the property of his grandmother in the Eastmoor area of Wakefield.

They found a padlocked shed, and Norton was found to have the key around his neck.

Inside the shed they found four packages of cocaine weighing a total of 1.75kg. Some contained cocaine that was 90 per cent pure.

They also found £53,000 in cash in bundles of £10 notes and a quantity of caffeine, usually used to cut the drug and maximise profits.

Then finally, while on bail again, police attended the property on August 26 and found him with another quantity of cocaine and cannabis.

They also seized a mobile phone on which Norton had been sending out messages to customers about high-quality drugs for sale.

He was finally held on remand at HMP Leeds after appearing in the magistrates' court.

In total, Norton, of Coniston Crescent, Wakefield, admitted thee counts of possession of cocaine with an intent to supply, one of heroin, two of cannabis and possession of criminal property - relating to the bundles of cash.

In regard to the larger drugs bust in the garden shed, mitigating, Abdul Shakoor said Norton had been ordered to pick up the drugs and the cash and store them by the gang he became involved with.

He said that like many, Norton had got involved in drug dealing because of his own issues with taking drugs.

Mr Shakoor added: "He has not been in custody before and has found it difficult. He wants to draw a line under these matters and move on with his life."

The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl QC told Norton: "It's plain you were trusted by people further up the ladder. You were playing a fully-operational role, you understood the scale of the operation and it was a considerable operation."