A man who owed £ 60,000 in debt after an accident with a rented high-performance car was faced with an ultimatum: sell crack cocaine and heroin or whatever.
Zain Ahmed found himself in hot water after crashing the glamorous vehicle that had been rented for his brother’s wedding, causing thousands of pounds in damage.
However, since the car had been obtained from an illegitimate renter, Ahmed was not properly insured to drive it, which meant he had to pay the £ 60,000 himself.
The 22-year-old appeared at Burnley Crown Court this week after being stopped by police with over £ 2,000 worth of crack cocaine and heroin – which he later admitted to being allowed to resell.
His defense attorney Brendan O’Leary said, “One of the reasons he got involved in the Class A drug trafficking is because he went to his brother’s wedding in December 2018. As is the tradition with Asian weddings, cars are rented, often high-performance cars, to celebrate the occasion and mark it with extravagance.
“He was later involved in a traffic accident while driving this car.
“He hadn’t rented it from a legitimate tenant he didn’t know and was therefore not uninsured. He was given an ultimatum – pay it back one way or another.
“He made the very stupid decision not to let his family know and join in and try to get rid of the debt as soon as possible.”
The court heard Ahmed was caught selling drugs in April 2019 when he was seen in his car on Venice Street in Burnley with a second man, Seraj Safiq.
Prosecutor Richard Archer explained how officials became suspicious after seeing the two men in the vehicle and approaching the car.
He said, “After some resistance to the police’s attempt to search the car, Ahmed got out and set off. As he got out, he dropped a Nokia phone, dropped an iPhone, and carried a bag.
“When the officers caught up with him, he was no longer carrying the bag. It was later salvaged nearby and contained £ 670 in cash. On the route he took, 11 knotted plastic packaging with a total of 16.8 g diamorphine were obtained.
“Shafiq stayed in the car and from there the police took back another 13.7 g diamorphine and another 1.65 g along with 2.68 g crack cocaine. These drugs are attributed to Ahmed on his request. ”
The total street value of the drugs found was £ 2,570 and drug trafficking news was found on Ahmed’s phone.
As a result of Shafiq’s presence in the car, his house was searched and a small amount of cocaine was found. It was accepted that the drugs were for personal use and so he was only charged with possession. He was fined £ 190.
Ahmed of Roundwood Avenue in Burnley admitted two property counts with the intention of delivering.
Judge Sara Dodd, who arrested him, said: “They were pressured to sell drugs to pay off a £ 60,000 debt that was placed on a vehicle.
“I accept that there are elements of lesser importance – you were involved in them through coercion or intimidation. You were and are considered immature at the time, and you have had no control over those above you in the chain.
“Your role was limited, you just sold – but that role was to sell a significant amount of drugs on the streets of this city.”