Man hiding in cupboard jailed as police recover cocaine and heroin stash

Police recovered a stash of cocaine and heroin during an operation targeting drug dealing in an area of Grantham, a court was told on Wednesday.

Officers were deployed to Hamilton Road in the town during September last year following reports of drugs being sold.

Stephen Ferson, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court that officers approached teenager Jordan Vaughan as he left a house in the street.

Vaughan dropped a clear plastic bag onto the ground which contained nine wraps of cocaine and heroin.

Moments later a plastic bag was thrown from a window of the property. Officers found the bag which had 130 wraps of cocaine and heroin inside it.

Then when police went inside the house they found Trevell Johnson hiding in a cupboard. He was searched and was found to have concealed a further 76 wraps internally.

Mr Ferson said: “Inside the house were drug dealer tick lists which had Johnson’s fingerprints on them. There were also traces of cocaine, heroin and a cutting agent.”

Evidence that Johnson had also been selling cannabis was found in messages on his mobile phone.

Trevell Johnson, 20, of Rise Park Road, Nottingham; and Jordan Vaughan, 19, of no fixed address; each admitted possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply on September 25, 2020. Johnson also admitted supplying cannabis and breach of a previous suspended jail sentence.

Johnson was jailed for a total of 28 months. Vaughan, who had no previous convictions, was given 16 months custody suspended for two years with 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

At an earlier hearing charges were dropped against a third man, Quisar Iqbal,27, of Woodborough Road, Nottingham.

Chris Brewin, for Johnson, said he turned to drugs after things went wrong in his life. His father passed away, he lost his job and his relationship ended.

“He started abusing drugs and that is how he came to be involved in this offending. He admits full responsibility for what he has done.”

Mr Brewin said Johnson contracted COVID while in custody but has now recovered.

Damian Sabino, for Vaughan, said his client was a high achiever at school but lost his way after finding himself homeless and running up a cannabis debt.

“He had and still has a dream of going to university.”

Mr Sabino said Vaughan now has support from his family and has not used cannabis for three months.