Dealer sold drugs to the same policemen twice in five days

Abbas Sethi, 20, was on the streets peddling drugs during September and

October last year when he sold the substances to the policemen, resulting in him being arrested and his home searched before he was bailed.

But Sethi was once again caught out by test purchase officers after trying to sell to them just five days after his release on bail.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Sethi acted as a street dealer in

Huddersfield after he was threatened at gunpoint over his own

2,500 drugs debt.

After trying to sell to the undercover officers for the first time, he was arrested in early December. After being released on bail, he then tried to deal to two of the same officers again.

Sethi's barrister Ian Howard said his client's arrest meant he was no longer of value as a drug dealer so the teenager was set up as a seller of stolen cars on behalf of the people to whom he owed the drugs debt.

Prosecutor Peter Hampton said Sethi offered to sell the undercover officers a stolen Mitsubishi Warrior and eventually the vehicle worth 14,000 was sold to the police for just 600.

Before his arrest in March Sethi was involved in discussions about the sale of 25 vehicles and Mr Hampton said six deals took place.

The court heard that the six stolen cars had a value of 65,000, but they were sold on for a total of only 3,940 pounds.

Mr Hampton said: "The majority of the vehicles were stolen during the course of house burglaries. Others were acquired following thefts from

driveways and public car parks.

"The prosecution submit that this defendant was clearly operating as part of a group of offenders who deliberately targeted, in the main, high value vehicles."

On one occasion Sethi was offering to sell a Saab car just over an hour after it had been stolen.

Sethi admitted a series of charges relating to the supply of Class A drugs, possession of drugs with intent to supply and being concerned in drugs supply.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to steal relating to the stolen motor vehicles.

Mr Howard emphasised that his client had been a man of previous good character until he started using drugs himself and ran up the drugs debt.

He said Sethi maintained that he had been threatened with a gun and had started dealing on the streets only to pay off the debt.

Judge Jonathan Rose told Sethi that he was proof of the fact that drug abuse led to drugs debts and criminality, but he stressed that was no excuse for his behaviour.

The judge said the stolen car offences involved the deliberate targeting of valuable vehicles and Sethi's links to the cars showed he was "very close" to the thieves.

Sethi was locked up for two-and-a-half years for the drugs offences with an additional 18 months in custody for the conspiracy to steal.