Mansfield drug dealer swapped selling cocaine for breeding pigs

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A Mansfield cocaine dealer who was caught redhanded has since turned his life around and is now looking after 3,000 piglets.

James Richards was arrested on October 2, 2022, with messages on his phone that included adverts for availability, a dealer list, and requests for varying amounts of drugs, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

At the time he was on a community order for an affray from April 2021 and he has previous convictions for possessing cannabis and cocaine.

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The court heard he played “a significant role” as he had “operational management of a chain and expected a significant financial advantage.”

Nottingham Crown Court.Nottingham Crown Court.
Nottingham Crown Court.

Digby Johnson, mitigating, said the day of his arrest was a “sliding doors moment” for Richards and his life could have taken one of two very different directions.

He said the defendant had struggled to cope following the death of his brother and “had sunk into a slough in terms of the way he was leading his life.”

“He never had any proper work and found himself potentially facing a substantial prison sentence,” said Mr Johnson.

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“He had some decisions to make and I am pleased to say those decisions were made in the most positive way.”

He said Richards stopped taking cocaine, rebuilt relationships with his family, and has found work on a farm where he is now in charge of an entire farrowing unit, with responsibility for 3,000 piglets and 280 sows.

“His employers speak of him as highly as they could,” he said. “He has turned his life around.

“He understands if he is lucky enough to avoid custody he knows there will be a substantial sentence hanging over his head.”

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The 26-month delay in bringing the case to court was not his fault, Mr Johnson added.

Richards, 28, of Markham Place, admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine, in September 2024.

On Tuesday, Judge Nirmal Shant KC told him: “Domestic circumstances were such that you were set on a path of self-destruction and for a number of years you appeared before the courts.

"It would be fair to say you have dramatically turned your life around in the last two years."

She sentenced him to two years, suspended for two years, with 12 rehabilitation sessions and 100 hours of unpaid work.

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