Drug dealer found with £35K of ketamine after he bumped into police - Preston Crown Court told

Police discovered almost £35,000 worth of ketamine in a rucksack during a “chance encounter” with a Lancashire drug dealer, a court heard.

Aidan Stillwell bumped into the officers in the street as they were on their way to a nearby address on another matter.

When they became suspicious and decided to search him, they found five bags of cannabis resin, two bags containing almost a kilo of ketamine and £800 worth of cocaine.

Stillwell, 41, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and ketamine with intent to supply and possession of the cocaine which he claimed was for his own personal use.

He was sent to prison for two-and-a-half years when he appeared before a judge at Preston Crown Court.

Barrister Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said the drugs were a “chance discovery” by the police as they were visiting a property in Dukes Brown, Blackburn.

Stillwell became agitated when he was questioned by the officers.

A search of his clothes and a rucksack uncovered the “significant” amount of drugs.

In addition to the 861 grammes of ketamine, which had a street value when broken down into small snap bags of £34,440, they found 434 grammes of “good quality” Moroccan cannabis resin which was valued at £4,341.

Stillwell, who gave his address as a bail hostel in Carlisle, claimed a further 12 grammes of cocaine, worth £814, found in the rucksack was for personal use.

Police accepted that, while it was a “substantial” amount, it was for personal use and not for sale to others.

Mr McEntee told the court the prosecution had charged him only with being in possession of the cocaine because an examination of his phone showed many messages which implicated him in the supply of both ketamine and cannabis but could find no indication that he had also been supplying cocaine.

The court heard Stillwell had a lengthy criminal record which included having served five years for robbery and possessing an offensive weapon.

He had a number of offences for dishonesty, violence and possessing drugs. Stillwell’s lawyer said her client had voluntarily attended various help groups over the 11 months since his arrest in an attempt to turn his back on a life of drugs.

She said his father had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and she asked for a suspended sentence so he could stay out of prison to spend as much time with him as possible.

Asked by the judge why he had been dealing such large quantities of drugs, she said he had come into a substantial amount of money and had spent it on buying drugs to sell on to make more money.

Judge Philip Parry said Stillwell had been to his ex-partner's address in Dukes Brow to collect his belongings. Officers had noticed he was carrying a rucksack and a pair of jogging pants ties around his neck.

When examined his mobile phone contained multiple messages requesting ketamine and cannabis from customers. He described his drug dealing as “quite significant offending”.

He had been working alone. He had come into a significant amount of money – at least £10,000 – and had bought drugs to make even more cash.

"It was plainly your own operation and you must have expected significant financial gain.”

Addressing the possibility of suspending any prison sentence so he could be with his sick father, the judge said the seriousness of his offending meant only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

Sending him to prison for two-and-a-half years, he told him: “That is the least sentence I can pass on you for this serious quantity of drug dealing.”

He ordered forfeiture of his mobile phone and the destruction of the drugs seized.