Firefighter's postal drug dealing revealed after customer’s death in Mansfield
A firefighter's illegal sleeping pill-dealing business was uncovered when one of his customers died in Mansfield, a court has heard.
Andy Wass sent £1,800 of Zopiclone to the woman by post, between April 1 and December 7, 2022, and her son raised the alarm after she died, magistrates were told.
Police found amphetamine as well as evidence he was also selling Diazepam when they searched his home in Wolverhampton in March last year.
Deborah Bell, mitigating, said: "Due to the things he has seen in the course of his career he began taking Zopiclone to help him sleep.”
She said Wass used the messaging service Telegram to order the drugs, which he received by post, and began selling them to another person.
They passed on the details of a woman in Mansfield who Wass was told was undergoing chemotherapy.
"It wasn't entirely altruistic," said Ms Bell. "The only reason it came to light was that she passed away. That has nothing to do with Mr Wass. Her son found something that came through the post."
She said Wass had become dependent on the pills and started selling them to fund a gambling habit.
"On the outside he was providing a valuable service to the public while on the inside he was struggling,” she said. “His whole world effectively crumbled.”
The court heard Wass lost the job he'd had for 22 years as a fireman with the West Midlands Fire Service and his long-term relationship broke down after the police’s "mob handed" search of his home.
“He was brutally honest in his police interview,” Ms Bell added. “He has started his own business working for a rental company.
“His cannabis and alcohol use is under control and he has stopped taking Zopiclone. He lost pretty much everything as a result of the decisions he took.”
Wass, aged 42, of Woodland Crescent, Wolverhampton, admitted four counts of supplying controlled drugs of class C and possessing a class B drug, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.
He received a 12 month community order, with 200 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.
The drugs were forfeited and destroyed.