A drug dealer sent and received thousands of phone messages involved in selling heroin and crack cocaine around Bolton.
Mohammed Muhsin, 29, was involved in selling the drugs between December of last year and May of this.
But Bolton Crown Court heard how his trade unravelled when police began an investigation into a “drugs line” phone.
Prosecutor Kay Driver said: “The phone had been sending out regular flare messages to a large number of recipients.”
She told the court that the messages had been advertising crack cocaine and heroin.
On searching Muhsin’s home on Lever Street in Great Lever police found a Samsung phone, around £510 in cash inside a pillowcase and another two mobile phones.
Ms Driver said that the Samsung was found to have had 11,766 incoming calls with 8,130 incoming messages and had sent out 2,355 flare messages.
Muhsin had tried to free himself when officers arrested him but was subdued in his flat, where police also found the keys to a BMW.
After the car was found an investigation found it was often in the same location as the phone.
Ms Driver told the court that the phone contained messages linked to the drug trade like “what do you want? Half?” and “I’ll drop a bag off.”
Brought before the court Muhsin, who has seven convictions for 10 offences, admitted to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Joshua Bowker, defending, said that Muhsin deserved credit for having pleaded guilty and pointed out that none of his previous offences had been for drug trafficking.
He said that Yemeni-born Muhsin had been “witness to significant atrocities” in his homeland after the outbreak of civil war in 2014.
Mr Bowker said that Muhsin had already been in custody for four and a half months and had shown remorse for his crimes.
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Deputy Circuit Judge Elliot Knopf accepted that Muhsin had earned credit for his guilty plea but reminded the court of the “pernicious effect that these drugs have on our society.”
He said: “There is little doubt that you were playing and important part in the distribution of drugs within the local community.”
Judge Knopf added that drug dealers “may think this may be an easy way to make a fast buck but there is a price to pay.”
He jailed Muhsin for 32 months.
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