Cocaine dealer jailed after he 'peddled misery' across Harrogate

Jack Milner, 25, bragged to the officer that he was “making a good wage” from his loathsome trade but he was being played from the outset, York Crown Court heard.

Milner supplied cocaine to the plain-clothed officer on three separate occasions in December 2019, said prosecutor David Povall.

“The officer was part of a wider operation focusing on County Lines (drug networks) and it appears the defendant has crossed their sights,” added Mr Povall.

He said although Milner wasn’t involved “in that level of criminality”, he was working with others to supply the Class A drug.

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The undercover officer, who used a pseudonym, was introduced to Milner on December 9 when he was supplied with cocaine.

The following day, the officer called Milner to arrange another deal and he was “again supplied with (cocaine)”.

On the third day, the officer rang the same number and spoke to a different man who supplied him some wraps of heroin and cocaine.

The court heard that Milner only supplied cocaine and was not involved in the dealing of heroin.

However, the officer later saw Milner with this “second man…giving him permission to supply the officer with a further wrap”.

Milner, of Harehills Lane, Leeds, was duly arrested and found with a “burner” phone - a cheap, pre-paid mobile which criminals often use to evade detection.

He initially denied any involvement in Class A drug-dealing and maintained his innocence until the day of trial in June, when he finally admitted supplying cocaine.

Nick Cartmell, mitigating, said Milner was living on the streets with his girlfriend at the time and had pneumonia.

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He said although Milner clearly made a “quite significant” financial gain, it was simply to buy his “next McDonald’s (meal)…and not going hungry”.

“He was a fool and he has a penalty to pay,” added Mr Cartmell.

“The defendant appears to have been operating a telephone number for the supply of drugs with others and been directly involved in handing them over to addicts.”

He said that Milner stood to make a “significant financial gain” although the amount was unknown.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Milner: “You were peddling misery on the streets and…that is very serious.

“You said to the undercover officer that you were being paid a good wage for what you were doing.

In my book, peddling Class A drugs is so serious that there has to be an immediate prison sentence because there has to be a recognition of deterrence for others.

“You were out and about distributing this filth on the streets. Who know how many lives you wrecked?”

Milner was jailed for two years and nine months. He will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.