Drug dealer who travelled from Birmingham to Portsmouth before taking over someone's home is jailed

Carlos Lima, along with another man, was caught with £7,000 worth of cocaine and heroin after police busted an address in Cornwallis Crescent, Buckland, on October 5, 2018.

Officers had watched suspicious activity taking place before witnessing drugs being supplied to two people outside the property by Lima’s co-defendant before he went inside.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how police then stormed the address where they found Lima, 26, who was sitting on a sofa.

Following a search officers discovered 76 wraps of crack cocaine and 54 wraps of heroin with a street value around £7,000. Cash of nearly £900 was also found.

The court heard that Lima tried to claim he was merely ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ and he ‘was not part of the operation’ but this was rejected by jurors during a trial where he was found guilty of two counts of supplying class A drugs.

The court was told Lima’s co-defendant was jailed for 21 months - with both men blaming each other.

Judge Timothy Mousley QC rejected Lima’s claim he had played a lesser role in the operation.

‘You were acting with another man and the two of you drove from Birmingham to Portsmouth to supply drugs,’ he said.

‘You used someone else’s home to do your business from. You were supplying a significant amount with a value of around £7,000. You had already been paid £860.

‘The probation report says that you were coerced. I reject that. You played a significant part in the street dealing.’

But the judge said there was ‘substantial mitigation’ with Lima, of Hamstead Road, Birmingham, having no previous offences to his name, being remorseful and not offending since his crimes.

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It meant judge Mousley was able to reduce the sentence - with Lima handed a 30-month jail term.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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