Staffordshire man jailed after 14 years as drug dealer
A drug-dealer finally caught by the police has been jailed for 28 months.
Father-of-two Paul Hough, from Rugeley, claimed following his arrest in 2013 that he had been pushing drugs for the last 14 years and could make £200 a week, Stafford Crown Court heard.
Officers carried out a search raid on his home on July 16 and found skunk cannabis in various places around the house.
Mr Nicholas Cartwright, prosecuting, told the court that the street value of the cannabis totalled around £3,300.
There was also about £20 worth of cocaine which the defendant had for his own use, the court heard.
But Hough's mobile phone contained drug-deal text messages dating back to 2009.Hough said he had been doing it for 14 years. He was bailed by the police, who executed another search warrant at a house in Rugeley on August 7. In an outhouse was a locked safe which had £380 worth of Hough's skunk cannabis.
Hough, aged 34, of Swallow Close, admitted supplying cannabis between December 2009 and July last year, two charges of possessing cannabis with intent to supply, one of possessing cocaine and one of possessing two tablets of a class C drug.
Judge Mark Eades said: "You have been a long term dealer in cannabis. You have admitted to 14 years although the indictment covers four years. You told the officers you could make a profit of up to £200 a week."
Miss Elizabeth Power, defending, said Hough accepted a significant amount of dealing over a long period.
