TWO drug dealers caught red-handed repeatedly street-selling crack cocaine and heroin were free to carry on because they weren’t subject to any bail conditions, the Recorder of Bradford said yesterday.

Judge Richard Mansell QC was sentencing the men more than three years after they were snared in a police crackdown on Class A drugs trafficking in central Halifax.

Akaas Pervez, 38, of Akeds Road, Halifax, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin on three separate occasions between January and May, 2019, and a single count of possession of cash as criminal property. He was jailed for two and a half years.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: PervezPervez

Ahamer Ahmed, 30, of Cromwell Terrace, Halifax, was jailed for two years and four months after admitting possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin on two occasions between March and May, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to simple possession of Class A drugs in October that year.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Ahmed Ahmed

Judge Mansell told them: “The fact that you are only now facing punishment for your offending is due in large part to the practice, which has become well-established in recent years, of releasing defendants under investigation, leaving them free to continue offending.

“This is particularly commonplace now in cases involving the supply of Class A drugs, where notwithstanding the fact that defendants are caught red-handed with a significant stash of Class A drugs, cash and more than one mobile phone, a charging decision is deferred for many months with suspects released under investigation and subject to no restrictions of their liberty or supervision, as there would be had they been granted bail with conditions.

“Not only does it often lead to more offending on the part of these individuals, but there is often an overlap with the arrests of other suspects and a similar delay in investigating their offending, which only builds further delay into the process. This is precisely what has happened here.”

The court heard that the first offences, on January 22, 2019, involved Pervez alone.

He was driving a Ford Focus on Pellon Lane when he was stopped by the police. He had £548 in cash with him, several phones, and a search at the police station revealed 37 street deals of crack cocaine and 26 of heroin hidden in his buttocks.

He was released under investigation for those offences.

Both men were then caught with drugs in a blue Audi on Fenton Road on March 3, 2019. A package in the rear footwell contained 59 street deals of crack cocaine and 25 deals of heroin, several mobile phones and £134 in cash.

Both were released under investigation, Pervez for the second time.

On May 4, 2019, Pervez was seen handing items from a white BMW close to the town centre. The car was stopped and a bag containing 20 street deals of heroin and 43 deals of crack cocaine was seized by the police.

Pervez was also found to be in possession of around £485 in cash.

On May 20, 2019, Ahmed was stopped in a VW Golf on Hanson Road in the centre of Halifax. A package containing 58 wraps of crack cocaine and 46 wraps of heroin was recovered from his trousers.

There was nearly £100 in coins in the Golf’s central console and £270 in banknotes behind the driver’s sun visor.

The final two offences were simple possession of Class A drugs committed by Ahmed on October 4, 2019.

Judge Mansell said others already sentenced were higher up the drugs supply chain.

Neither Pervez nor Ahmed had any previous convictions for drugs trafficking offences and both were dealing to fund their own habit.

He also took into account the significant delay in bringing the cases to sentence.