Notts man was 'tempted' into running phone-line for drug deals

At its height the dedicated phone line sent messages to as many as 230 users per day, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Thursday.

David Ramage "yielded to temptation and became involved in running the line" in March 2018, before his Bestwood home was raided by police on April 11, 2018.

Cocaine, broken into 76 deals, was discovered, along with 20 grams of cannabis, worth £200, said prosecutor Simon Ash, on Thursday.

Other police searches in 2018/19 uncovered quantities of heroin, crack and cocaine which were "well above 1kg," and 11 other people are set to be, or have been, sentenced this week, the court heard.

Digby Johnson, mitigating, said Ramage, who has no previous convictions, lost his job and had a "significant personal setback" and his relationship ended.

In August of 2017 he was in a "parlous position" and began selling cannabis, and by March 2018 "he yielded to temptation and became involved in running the line."

"Since his arrest he has lived in a very different way," said Mr Johnson. “He is not only capable of rehabilitation but he's demonstrated that the rehabilitation is under way."

Ramage, 29, of Chippenham Road, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and possession of Class B drugs, when he appeared in court on May 31, 2019.

The Recorder of Nottingham, Judge Gregory Dickinson QC, said the drug ring operated between December 2017 and February 2019.

He told Ramage: "You were paid a wage and offered a share of the profits.

"Your role was significant for a relatively short period of time."

The judge handed Raage two years, suspended for 18 months, with a three-month curfew from 9pm to 6am, and 150 hours of unpaid work.

"I believe you will not come back before the court, but if you do, not even the skill of Mr Johnson will save you," the judge told him.