A MAN caught with a \u201cNokia burner phone\u201d after building up a drug debt has been jailed for over two years at Cardiff Crown Court.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khalid Ibrahim, 23, was stopped and searched by police on Hodges Square off Bute Street on November 14, 2024, Peter Donnison, prosecuting, said. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Nokia burner phone containing two sim cards was found, Mr Donnison continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ibrahim, of Graham Walk, Riverside, Cardiff, said he was asked to hold the phone to help pay off a drug debt from his own consumption of class a drugs, but that he \u201cdidn\u2019t know the phone was used in the supply of drugs\u201d, Mr Donnison said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A later examination of the phone showed text messages pointing towards the supply of cocaine and heroin, and Ibrahim was arrested on December 1, 2024,\u00a0Mr Donnison continued. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cardiff Magistrates Court had imposed a curfew on Ibrahim on December 3, 2024, but he was remanded in custody on January 10 after he failed to comply.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Derrick Gooden, defending, said Ibrahim was only responsible for a few of those messages. Ibrahim was not found in possession of drugs or drug money, Mr Gooden said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile he has been in custody, he has spent his time productively and has started a course in construction industry,\u201d Mr Gooden continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Gooden added that Ibrahim had drug issues which started when he was 13, but that he is \u201cstill a young person and is in good health\u201d with prospects of employment, and recommended a community order.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ibrahim had six previous convictions, the most relevant from April 2019 in relation to another class A drugs offence.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He pleaded guilty to a charge of offering to supply crack and cocaine and a charge of offering to supply heroin between July 22, 2024, and November 15, 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sentencing him on Wednesday, February 19 2025, Judge Hywel James told Ibrahim: \u201cYou were a user of class A drugs, and as a result you got into debt and got told to hold the burner phone. The supply of class A drugs has a serious effect on the community, and messages on a burner phone are central to that supply chain. You were influenced by your peer group but you have also blamed others for your actions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr James sentenced Ibrahim to 27 months in prison, reduced from 36 for his early guilty plea.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Khalid Ibrahim, 23, who has had drug issues since the age of 13, was jailed for more than two years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1218,"featured_media":93586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[221,3,72],"tags":[1291,558,4177,3830,73],"coauthors":[8795],"class_list":["post-93584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-butetown","category-news","category-riverside-where-you-live","tag-cardiff-2","tag-cardiff-crown-court","tag-cocaine","tag-heroin","tag-riverside"],"yoast_head":"\n