A retail price list was recovered and there was also reference to ‘Belfast Hustle’ which was saved on the phone as its user name
A Co Down man was today jailed for a year after he was caught dealing in cocaine, cannabis, Ketamine and diazepam.
Judge Gordon Kerr KC told Craig James John Boyd that he will spend a further 26 months on supervised licence following his release from custody.
Boyd, 30, of Mill Street, Newtownards, appeared at Belfast Crown Court via video link from custody on three separate bills of indictment.
He previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine and Ketamine on dates between September 20, 2021 and August 2 2022.
On the second bill of indictment, he pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of diazepam on dates between April 27, 2022 and August 2, 2022.
He further pleaded guilty on the third bill to offering to supply cocaine and cannabis between April 3, 2022 and May 18, 2023.
The court heard that on August 2, 2022, police officers executed a search warrant at a property in Glenville Mews, Newtownabbey in Co Antrim.
Prosecutors said small amounts of cannabis were found in the house: 8.2 grams were found in the kitchen and 6.85 grams of cannabis plant material were recovered from a washing machine along with 27.97 grams of benzocaine and caffeine, cutting agents for cocaine.
The court heard police also found the remains of a “cannabis grow” in the attic along with seed packages, fertiliser and pots but no cannabis cultivation was found.
Two phones were seized, one belonging to the defendant and the other to his brother who subsequently died in November 2023.
The defendant’s phone was examined and evidence showed he was involved in the sale of cocaine, cannabis and diazepam and was offering both “collection and delivery” to his customers.
A retail price list was recovered and there was also reference to ‘Belfast Hustle’ which was saved on the phone as its user name.
During police interviews Boyd made no comment to questions but in a prepared statement he said: “The white powder is not mine.”
In a separate case, police officers seized a mobile phone belonging to another person which contained a number of price lists from a mobile phone number with the person using the name ‘Belfast Hustle’.
A prosecution lawyer said police carried out a subscriber check on the phone using the name ‘Belfast Hustle’ and found it was registered to the defendant in 2021.
On May 27, 2023, the defendant was a passenger in a car and he was arrested in connection with the ‘Belfast Hustle’ issue and a mobile phone was seized.
Again, Boyd made no comment to police questions but later claimed ‘Belfast Hustle’ was linked to his brother.
His phone was examined and downloads showed he was offering to supply cocaine and cannabis and using the name ‘Workman’.
The prosecutor said a digital download showed ‘Workman’ had set up a ‘Belfast Hustle’ group on the Telegram channel and was offering to supply cocaine and cannabis.
The court heard that on August 2, 2022 police carried out a search of his then partner’s home at Portallo Street in Belfast.
Bags of cocaine with a purity of two per cent weighing 11.4 grams were seized along with benzocaine and cannabis and the drugs were worth between £1,500 and £2,000.
The mobile phone of his partner Danielle Broome was seized for examination which showed evidence of dealing. The court heard there were also messages on the phone linked to Boyd.
Police found among the notes section the names of 27 people along with sums of money. There was also a WhatsApp account in which Broome was involved and there were messages between her and other people.
Broome, 31, is to be sentenced next week by Judge Kerr for being concerned in the supply of cocaine and Class B drugs.
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