A dealer was caught with drugs and an imitation firearm after police pulled over a car he was in.
Jody Small was sitting in the passenger seat when patrolling officers noticed the vehicle had a light out and stopped it.
As the car came to a halt in the Radford area, Small darted out of the door and ran down the street to evade police.
His escape attempt didn’t go to plan, however, as the 20-year-old did not get far before he was detained by an officer, who also saw him drop a rucksack he’d been carrying.
After retracing their steps, they recovered the bag, which was found to be packed with hundreds of deal bags containing LSD and cannabis, quantities of cash, and a gas-powered pistol-style gun.
Following the stop, at around 9:45 pm on 16 April this year, Small was charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and possession of criminal property.
Having pleaded guilty to each offence, Small, of Radford Road, Hyson Green, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced on Thursday (19 December).
He was sentenced to four years in a young offenders’ institution.
Detective Constable Sam Richardson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“This incident provided a great example of why our policing teams conduct the patrols they do.
“While they initially took action after noticing a car had a broken headlamp, had they not spotted this, the illegal activity going on inside that vehicle may have gone undetected.
“Clearly, this wasn’t the case, with Jody Small instead springing from the car when it stopped in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid detection.
“As we now know, he had a bag in his possession that was not only packed with hundreds of wraps of Class A and Class B drugs but also contained an imitation firearm and large quantities of cash we assume were raised through his drug dealing.
“It really should go without saying, but there is no excuse whatsoever for anyone to sell drugs in our communities, or indeed to carry an imitation firearm, which, although not viable, he will have been carrying to all intents and purposes to put people in fear.
“We’re pleased to see Small has now been punished for his actions.”
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