Mansfield dealer caught with drugs in car bearing false number plates
A Mansfield drug dealer was caught with cocaine and cannabis after police pulled him over for driving an uninsured car with false registration plates, a court has heard.
Ryan Wardle only held a provisional licence when he was stopped in a Ford Fiesta, on Nottingham Road, Mansfield, on April 24, 2022, Nottingham Crown Court was told.
Wardle, aged 28, was searched and officers found £20-£40 of cocaine, £110 of cannabis, as well as £110 in cash and nitrous oxide canisters.
Amother £100 of cocaine and £130 of cannabis were found at his home.
He volunteered his PIN number and messages to users, Snapchat advertisements for drugs, and tick lists of money owed, were found on his phone.
Wardle, of Leeming Street, Mansfield, denied possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs in September 2024, but changed his pleas in February.
The court heard he has one previous conviction for possessing cannabis in 2019, for which he received a conditional discharge.
Lauren Fisher, mitigating, said the offences are almost three years old, and he deserved credit for his plea before a trial set for November next year.
"Since these offences he has not troubled the court further," she said. "He had a significant problem with drugs at the time.
"He got himself into significant financial debt. He got into selling drugs to feed his extensive habit at the time. He was homeless at the time.”
Ms Fisher said his main concern about custody was the loss of his Framework accommodation.
On Wednesday, Wardle received a 20 month sentence, suspended for two years, with 25 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.