A DRUG dealer was arrested at his home after officers found a sports bag full of cannabis on his fridge freezer.
At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court Helena Williams, prosecuting, said that on January 11 last year, police officers attended Jack Clark's address at Ribble Drive, Bury, in order to arrest him on an assault charge.
Clark was at the property with his girlfriend and a search revealed a JD Sports bag on top of the fridge freezer containing cannabis, cash and digital weighing scales.
Bank notes were found in a kitchen drawer and in a jar on top of a microwave totalling around £1,200.
Clark, 21, and his girlfriend were arrested but he told officers, "leave her out of this, the weed is mine," and she was released.
A total of 66 grams of 'skunk' cannabis was discovered with an estimated vale of around £500.
A mobile phone was also seized and 168 text messages were recovered which had been sent between January 8 and January 11.
Ms Williams said: "This was a case of street dealing due to the nature of the text messages and the cannabis being separated out into smaller quantities."
She added that Clarke had three previous convictions for violent offences.
Daniel Calder, defending, told the court that Clark’s partner was expecting their first child in November and that she had helped him to rid himself of his drug habit and to seek help for his mental health.
"He (Clark) now has a stable address and has not reoffended in the 14 months it has taken this case to be brought before the court," added Mr Calder.
Sentencing Clark, who pleaded guilty to supply of a controlled drug Class B, Recorder Nick Clarke QC, said: "You were clearly conducting a business and your phone shows how busy and active you were in drug dealing."
Handing Clark an eight month prison sentence suspended for two years, Recorder Clarke also imposed 20 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement, 150 hours of unpaid work and a four month curfew between 8pm and 7am.
"This is not intended as a let off," he added. "This is a stiff penalty because when all your mates are outside in the late summer evenings enjoying each other's company as Covid-19 is being beaten back, you will have to remain indoors at your mum's."
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