Drug dealer jailed after stop and search in Northampton revealed crack cocaine and heroin

A drug dealer has been jailed after police found him in possession of crack cocaine and heroin during a stop and search in Northampton.

Keehan Cass, of Queens Road in Walthamstow, was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Tuesday (August 1) after he was arrested alongside a 19-year-old man when the pair were stopped in the town by officers from Northamptonshire Police.

At about 5.40pm on Sunday, May 14 this year, officers spotted Cass and Jamal Clarke, of Dames Road, Forest Gate, East London, walking a dog along Bailiff Street, near to the junction with Lorne Road, and stopped to speak to them.

According to police, 20-year-old Cass initially told officers that he was on his way home as he lived around the corner, however, checks on the Police National Computer revealed his address was in Greater London and that he was wanted on warrant for failing to appear at court.

As he was being arrested, Clarke fled on foot but was swiftly detained nearby in Barrack Road. Both men were searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act and a quantity of Class A drugs and cash were recovered from Cass.

Once in custody, Cass was found to have more than 80 wraps of Class A drugs and £1,584 in cash. He and Clarke were also both were found to be carrying knives.

Cass pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply a controlled Class A drug – namely crack cocaine and heroin, possession of a bladed article in a public place and acquire/use/possess criminal property.

Detective Constable Chelsea Noble, of the West LPA CID team, who led the investigation, said: “I am pleased with the sentences handed to Cass and Clarke, and hope this is seen as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of dealing drugs within our communities.

“Drug harm is a matter of priority for the Force, and we will continue to tenaciously enforce and disrupt drug dealers, who prey on the most vulnerable people in our society and bring misery to our streets and communities.”

Cass was sent to prison for a total of 34 months after he was sentenced to 27 months for each drug offence and six months for the acquire/use/possess criminal property, to run concurrently, and a further seven months to run consecutively in relation to the possession of a bladed article.

At the same hearing, Clarke was sentenced to seven months in prison after pleading guilty to the possession of a bladed article in a public place.