Drug dealer caught by police on the very first day that he started his new venture

Police stopped an amateur drug dealer in his tracks just hours into his new career.

Rudy Young, 35, from Blackpool, turned to cocaine when his 16-year marriage broke down. The expensive habit racked up significant debt along with threats to pay up, which led him down the path of dealing drugs.

The licensed scrap metal merchant agreed to start selling after fears of losing his business. He was handed a phone to take orders – but wasn't as successful as he had hoped.

Young was apprehended on January 20 2021, when police spotted suspicious activity around his car, with a person leaning in through the window.

They discovered bags containing white powder, £450 in cash during the search and two mobile phones. One of which had text messages about drug dealing activity, Claire Larton, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, said.

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"He wasn't very successful", Julie Taylor, defending, said. "He got caught on the very first day."

Young, who previously had no convictions and two cautions, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drug but avoided imprisonment. Instead, he was handed a two-year sentence suspended for two years and 150 hours of unpaid work.

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Judge Simon Medland QC, sentencing, said: "You are plainly a resourceful person because you set up your own business as a licensed scrap metal merchant. You have a relationship and you want to do well in the world.

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"Your problem arose inevitably because you began to take cocaine, which is a destructive, an addictive and an expensive substance. Those who take it inevitably can't afford it, and you end up being trapped up in a cycle of your own causing, where you are brought into contact with those who are serious criminals who want you to do their work.

"My message that Class A drugs destroy people's lives is one I am sure you agree with. They destroy people's health and well-being; they destroy people's social stability—all those things they have done to you."

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