A York judge has decried the scourge of cocaine as he jailed a Class A drug dealer for three years.
Recorder Dafydd Enoch KC said that in many ways Shane Gibson’s was an “extremely sad story” because he himself had been caught in the vice of addiction.
Gibson, from York, had been in full-time employment and doing well in life until his cocaine addiction led to a spectacular fall from grace, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Benjamin Bell said that Gibson, 37, had set up his own drug-dealing enterprise which was evidently a lucrative one until police caught him bang to rights at a house in Wilberforce Avenue, Clifton, in November 2023.
Officers raided the property through an unlocked door and found Gibson in the kitchen with a named woman.
“(Gibson) tried to kick them out and failed to do so,” said Mr Bell.
Officers found seven cocaine “deals” inside a Kinder Egg on the kitchen table, along with drug paraphernalia including multiple sets of weighing scales, bicarbonate cutting agents and dealer bags.
Police found only 2g of cocaine inside the Kinder Egg and two lines of the Class A drug on the kitchen table, but analysis of his mobile phone revealed messages indicative of a lucrative street-dealing enterprise.
Gibson was charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine between May and November 2023 and admitted the offence. He appeared for sentence on Friday.
The court heard that Gibson, currently of no fixed address, had 11 previous convictions for 22 offences including Class A drugs possession and drug-driving – apparently all within the last three years after he became hooked on crack.
Earlier this year, he was jailed for breaching a community order which was imposed for the drug-driving offence.
His barrister Nicholas Hammond claimed that Gibson had been dealing under the direction of others higher up the drug chain.
He added: “This is a sad case because up until the age of 33, the defendant was in full-time employment, had a relationship and the couple were about to purchase a house.
“The relationship broke down, he became homeless, lost his job, started experimenting with drugs and his life spiralled to the stage where he became addicted to crack cocaine.”
Recorder Mr Enoch KC said: “There’s something about crack cocaine: it’s the most awful, insidious, disgusting drug. I think it’s worse than the others in many ways.”
He told Gibson: “The extremely sad story about the way your life has just fallen through the floor, it is a true tragedy, but (by dealing) Class A drugs and selling to people, you are only making them into what you have become and you know better than anybody how bad that is.”
Gibson received a three-year jail sentence but will only serve half of that behind bars before being released on prison licence.
