Drug dealing is a serious crime that carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment in the United Kingdom. One such offender, Danielle Stafford, was arrested after police stopped her car for speeding and smelled cannabis coming from the car.
A search of the vehicle yielded a bag of cannabis valued at £1,308 and a bag of crack cocaine worth £2,800. Stafford denied the drugs were hers and claimed she had no idea what they were. A search of her home in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, found an additional £26,917 in cash and drugs with a street value of £33,600. This included 270 wraps of crack cocaine worth £13,500 and 205 wraps of heroin valued at £4,100.
Stafford was an engineer for Swift Group and had a legitimate income, yet her bank accounts revealed she had an additional stream of cash income. She had gone on foreign holidays, bought a second home, and had designer handbags and watches, all without touching her job salary.
A search of Stafford’s phone revealed messages dating back to October 2017, instructing another woman to complete cannabis deals in her absence. There was also evidence of cocaine dealing.
Stafford eventually admitted three offences related to supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis, and another charge of possessing cash as criminal property. Her sentencing was adjourned to a later date and she was allowed bail.
Drug dealing can have devastating effects on entire communities and is not something to be taken lightly. Drug dealers like Danielle Stafford should be held accountable for their actions and face the full extent of the law.
