A drug dealer decorated his Christmas tree with £20 notes, leading to his arrest and imprisonment. Police seized more than £25,000 in cash, cannabis worth around £10,000, and a gun from Daniel Estridge's flat in Liverpool city centre.
Details of the Raid
Liverpool Crown Court heard that police executed a search warrant at Estridge's flat on Falkner Street in the Georgian Quarter at around 7.30am on May 14 last year. Officers seized over a kilogram of cannabis, valued at between £7,556 and £11,352, from glass jars, tubs, and plastic bags in the living room.
Prosecutor Stephen McNally described how 4.45g of cocaine at 75% purity, worth £191 to £441, was also recovered. Residue of both drugs was found on scales and packaging. A total of £25,360 in cash was found in one of the two bedrooms, and a photo on Estridge's phone showed a Christmas tree decorated with £20 and £5 notes.
Discovery of the Firearm
A search of the kitchen revealed a slow cooker containing a black bin bag with a firearm inside. When informed by police, the 43-year-old defendant replied: "Ah, it was all a good mood in here until they found a pistol in the kitchen." His partner then warned him: "How do you know it's a pistol? They haven't said that. Be quiet and stop talking. That's what I've seen on the telly."
The weapon was a converted Walther blank firing pistol, recovered alongside a magazine containing nine rounds of compatible 9x19mm Luger ammunition. Both were successfully test-fired. Estridge's DNA was found on the slide catch, side grips, and magazine port.
Defendant's Background
Estridge had one previous conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 1998, when he was aged 15. Defence barrister Anthony O'Donohoe said: "It is an unusual case in some ways. There is a huge gap in the defendant's offending behaviour. Although it would seem that the defendant has become involved in organised crime in some way, he is not, by his record at least, a lifetime professional criminal."
O'Donohoe added: "Given the remark made when the firearm was discovered, your honour may think that there was an element of naivety... He is one of 15 half siblings and he has a large group of family support around him. He did have caring responsibilities for the mother of his partner and also his maternal grandmother."
Sentencing
Estridge admitted possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of ammunition without a certificate, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, possession of criminal property, and possession of cocaine. He was jailed for five years and 10 months on Thursday.
Sentencing, Judge Ian Harris said: "Just over a kilogram of cannabis was found and 5g of cocaine at a relatively high purity of 75 per cent. There were scales and drugs packaging in your property which bore residues of cannabis and cocaine. £25,360 cash was found in a bedroom... In a cupboard in the kitchen, there was a slow burner which contained a black bin bag. That contained the gun. This was a Walther pistol which had been converted to fire live bullets. It was successfully fired and, thus, was a viable and lethal firearm."
He continued: "Guns kill and maim, terrorise and intimidate. That is why criminals want them. That is why they use them. Too many lethal weapons are too readily available. Too many are carried, too many are used, always with devastating effects on victims and with an insidious, corrosive impact on the wellbeing of the local community."
Estridge turned to the public gallery after learning his sentence, and supporters told him "we love you, we love you." He waved to the judge and court as he was led to the cells.
