By Teenage Scunthorpe drug dealer caught red-handed
A teenage drug dealer from Scunthorpe was caught red-handed selling narcotics, resorting to desperate measures before he was arrested.
Reece Jackson, 19, of Mary Street, Scunthorpe, admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply earlier this year.
During Jackson’s arrest, he quickly became aggressive and wrestled with the arresting officers.
When he was strip-searched at the station, and told to squat down, 58 wraps of heroin dropped from his rectum.
The 19-year-old is said to have owed drug suppliers, further up the chain than him, money after he received a mobile phone as a ‘gift’
However, he was soon told that he now owed £500 and would have to sell drugs as a means to repay his debt, a court heard.
Anna Bond, prosecuting, explained to Hull Crown Court how a police community support officer witnessed the teenager conducting separate drug deals with three other men around Scunthorpe.
Reece became extremely aggressive and put up a struggle during the arrest, before throwing a bag that was never found, the court heard.
The officer stated that he seemed to be trying to hide something inside himself and when challenged about it, replied: “Are you mad?”
Jackson was subsequently strip-searched at the police station which resulted in the discovery of a clear bag that stored 58 individual silver wraps of heroin.
Additionally, two mobile phones were examined. One contained drug-related messages.
David Watts, mitigating, said that the teenager had previously been in care and was homeless, which was an easy target for those involved with drugs to attract vulnerable individuals into crime.
Mr Watts said Jackson “fell absolutely into their clutches” after he accepted the gifted iPhone from the dealers.
The teenager had initially objected to distributing Class A drugs to repay his debt and was stabbed twice, still bearing the resulting scars.
“He decided to do what he was being told to do”, Mr Watts said.
“He was selling for others, doing what he was told”, he added.
“He had very little, if any, awareness of the scale of the operation”
Recorder Megan Rhys told Jackson:
“You must have known that people do not provide things like iPhones without expecting anything in return. You may have been targeted because of your naivety but I do not accept that you were as naive as you portray yourself”
“You did have some sort of management function in the chain. You must have had some awareness of the scale of the operation. This was selling directly to users”
Reece Jackson was sent to a young offenders’ institution for two years.
