A 24-year-old man from Cardiff has been sentenced for drug dealing after a court heard he started using cocaine as a teenager to cope with unhappiness at school. Abdulmanan Ahmadza was caught in possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
On February 16, police officers on Ferry Road in Grangetown spotted Ahmadza inhaling laughing gas from a green balloon while a passenger in a silver Toyota Yaris. When approached, he tried to conceal a mobile phone. Officers found a burner phone, £435 in cash, snap bags, and rocks of heroin and crack cocaine on him. A search of his home uncovered scales and further wraps of heroin.
The total street value of the drugs was estimated between £570 and £670. Ahmadza pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs. The court heard he had no previous convictions and was of previous good character.
In mitigation, his lawyer said Ahmadza was a young man who felt genuine shame and had taken his first time in court as a wake-up call. A debt of £900 was described as a driving force behind his behaviour. The defendant, who had worked at the family's car cleaning business, has family support and plans to focus on his faith and personal growth.
Recorder Christian Jowett described the offending as an isolated incident with a low risk to the public. He sentenced Ahmadza to two years imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and ordered 250 hours of unpaid work and 12 days of rehabilitation activity.
