Leeds drug dealer who was turning life around caught with cannabis and cocaine in Chapeltown

Haroon Mahmood, who already has a number of drug-related convictions, was caught with more than £400 worth of cannabis and cocaine.

Leeds Crown Court was told that police tried to pull his Mini Cooper over on Francis Street in Chapeltown on July 10, 2022 because he was not wearing a seat belt. When he ignored the request, he then ditched his car on nearby Back Savile Place and tried to walk away while talking on his phone. The police stopped him and searched him. Prosecutor Temitayo Dasaolu said they found two mobile phones on him, £500 in cash and a small bag on cannabis and cocaine.

In the Mini Cooper they found 19 dealer bags of cannabis in the rear footwell, a bag of loose cannabis and digital scales. They also found clear drugs-for-sale advertising messages sent from one of the mobile phones.

He gave no response to officers during his interview. He later admitted possession of cocaine, and possession with intent to supply cannabis. The court heard that he had a previous conviction for possession of MDMA, for which he received a community order, while he was given a jail sentence earlier this year for driving while unfit through drugs.

In mitigation, Joseph Hudson said Mahmood, of Mexborough Drive, Chapeltown, was now in full-time employment working as a picker and packer in a warehouse, five days a week.

He said the 24-year-old still lived with parents still and was focussed on his job. Deputy Circuit Judge Timothy Clayson told Mahmood: “You are acquiring a bit of a record to do with drugs. If you carry on like this, you have had a taste of prison already, it will be measured in years, not months. I’m glad to hear you’re working but it’s up to you. You are old enough to make good decisions, so let’s see how you get on.

“This was street dealing, plain, simple and serious. It was your business and you were running it for your own benefit.”

He gave him a 14-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 120 hours of unpaid work.