‘Drug warehouse’ of former bank worker mired in gambling debt

A former bank worker was found with more than £120,000 of drugs after he fell in with a gang of dealers in a desperate bid to pay off spiralling gambling debts.
Lunat MohammedLunat Mohammed
Lunat Mohammed

Leeds Crown Court heard Mohammed Lunat’s life went downhill after he was made redundant from his job with HBOS in 2012, soon after he and his wife had a child.

The court was told Lunat, of Batley, had worked his way up from a call centre to “front line staff” in the bank but would gamble his wages.

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His lawyer, Stephen Grattage, said Lunat spent more and more time in casinos after he was laid off “trapped in a circle trying to win back what he was losing”.

He funded his problem with pay day loans in a fruitless attempt to “win big”.

Then, after gambling away an “unofficial loan” of £9,000, he was scared into storing a large consignment of drugs in a garage.

The court heard police discovered the “drug warehouse”, on Purlwell Hall Road, Batley, in February 2013.

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Prosecutor Michael Smith said there was over a kilogramme of heroin, nearly three quarters of a kilogramme of crack cocaine and cocaine, nearly a kilogramme of mephedrone and 1.5 kilogrammes of Mcat as well as a small amount of cannabis.

The drugs’ street value was estimated to be between £127,000 and £135,000. There were also cutting agents, a kitchen blender, bags and an improvised workbench for bagging up.

Lunat also had two phones on which he received messages about where to collect and deliver drugs.

Mr Smith said Lunat told officers he had been asked to help others with the bagging for four to six months to pay off his debts.

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Mr Grattage told the court Lunat was ashamed and remorseful for what he had done and wished he had turned to his family, who were supporting him.

Lunat, 28, admitted six charges of possessing drugs with intent to supply and was jailed for six years.