A failed asylum seeker was found with half-a-kilo of cannabis in a car registered at a Home Office address, a court has heard. Omar Ahmed was caught walking down the street thanks to eagle-eyed police officers who saw he matched the description of someone wanted in connection with alleged drug dealing.
Arrest and discovery
Abul Hussain, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that on July 6 this year police officers in Swansea city centre saw a male who matched the description of an individual they were looking for in connection with drug supply allegations emerging from a property on Craddock Street. The male - later identified as the defendant - was stopped and spoken to, and was found to be in possession of a phone, £115 in cash, and the keys to a red Honda Civic parked on nearby Mansel Street.
When the car was searched, police found half-a-kilo of cannabis worth around £3,800. Checks showed the car was registered to "somebody who does not appear to exist" using an address belonging to the Home Office.
Court proceedings
Omar Ahmed, of Raynham Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply. He has no previous convictions. In his subsequent interview, the 28-year-old answered "no comment" to all questions asked.
Hannah George, for Ahmed, said after entering the UK the defendant had been "promised help" with legal representation for his asylum application "which is how he ultimately became involved in what led to his arrest in Swansea". The barrister said Ahmed's best mitigation was his guilty plea, and she said the defendant is currently in the process of appealing against his refusal of asylum in the UK.
Sentence
Judge Paul Thomas KC told Ahmed he had been caught in Swansea dealing a large quantity of cannabis worth a considerable amount of money. He said the sentence due in the case was one of 12 months or less and he was obliged by the new Sentencing Act to suspend the term unless there were "exceptional circumstances" and said in his judgement the defendant's status in the UK meant there was no realistic alternative to immediate custody, something which amounted to just such a circumstance.
With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea, Ahmed was sentenced to nine months in prison. The judge said given the time the defendant had spent on remand and given the release provisions currently in place, it may be that the defendant does not spend a great deal longer in prison under the sentence he had just passed but said what happens to Ahmed at his point of release is a matter for immigration authorities and not for him.
