Raza Hussain, 26, of Western Avenue, West Denton, Newcastle, was jailed for four years at Newcastle Crown Court after pleading guilty to a series of drug offences. The court heard he had more than £127,000 of unexplained deposits in his bank account and continued dealing after being arrested.
First arrest and bail
On May 13 2023, police stopped a Seat Leon on West Road, Newcastle, after intelligence linked the car to drugs activity. Hussain was in the back seat. Officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis and saw nitrous oxide canisters in the passenger footwell. They found a tub containing ten bags of cocaine worth around £500 and a Pringles container with £745 inside.
Hussain was arrested but slipped handcuffs and ran off before being chased and caught. His phone revealed he had been dealing various drugs, sending advertising messages and offering incentives for new customers. He also said he had drivers working for him. Between January 2022 and May 2023, £42,624 of unexplained third party credits entered his bank account.
He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of MDMA, cannabis and ketamine, possessing cocaine with intent to supply, transferring criminal property and possessing criminal property.
Second arrest
After being released on bail, Hussain returned to dealing within months. Just after 9pm on November 10 2023, police saw a man get into a Fiat 500 driven by Kirstie Stewart on Waterloo Street, Newcastle. The car drove around the corner, where the other man got out. Hussain was in the back.
Police followed the Fiat, which stopped near Hussain's home, and he was arrested. Officers found 25 bags of cocaine weighing around 8.5g, £721 cash and two phones. Stewart had two wraps of cocaine in her bra and a small amount of cannabis. A search of Hussain's home recovered £2,990 in cash, and his phone showed he had been dealing cocaine, ketamine and cannabis.
Between May 2023 and March 2025, unexplained deposits totalling £84,967 entered Hussain's account. Stewart, 29, of Hunters Place, Spital Tongues, Newcastle, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Sentencing and mitigation
Hussain was jailed for a total of four years. Stewart received 21 months suspended for two years with 200 hours of unpaid work. A Proceeds of Crime Act timetable was set, to be dealt with at a later date.
Jane Foley, for Hussain, said he was immature at the time and added: "Following the death of his father he descended into substance misuse, gambling and associating with wholly inappropriate peers." She said he ended up with drug debts and turned to dealing under pressure from those he owed. She added: "It explains how this previously promising young man came to involve himself in serious criminality. Those circumstances no longer exist." Since his arrest, he has abstained from drugs and alcohol, returned to his faith, and been involved in voluntary work.
Penny Hall, for Stewart, said: "Her involvement was on one occasion only. There was no actual supply by her." She added that Stewart had been pressured into it by a partner, not Hussain.
