A drug dealer caught stashing heroin and cocaine in his boxer shorts to support his own addiction has been sentenced, a court heard. Paul Donnelly, 39, was spotted by Cleveland Police on December 28, 2024, exiting a property on Alnwick Court in Middlesbrough’s Grove Hill area. Teesside Crown Court was told that upon seeing officers, he attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended, with police seizing cash and a weapon.
During a search in custody, officers discovered approximately £1,230 worth of heroin and cocaine on him. Donnelly later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply both drugs and possession of an offensive weapon. Prosecutor Charlie Thompson told the court on Wednesday that Donnelly had tried to escape with a white moped, which he was pushing when caught. The search uncovered a spring-loaded baton, £6.10 in coins, £170 in notes, and a black Nokia phone in his possession.
At Middlesbrough Police Station, a further search revealed seven grams of cocaine—valued at around £700 if sold in deals—and 21 grams of heroin, worth about £530, hidden in his underwear. Analysis of the Nokia phone revealed drug-dealing messages, including one stating, “I’ve got a tenner, I’m choking please don’t take forever.” The court heard Donnelly, from Grove Hill, has a record of 51 convictions for 89 offenses and claimed he sold drugs to fund his own habit. He also said a friend had given him the baton.
In mitigation, his barrister, Lee Goodchild, noted Donnelly is on a methadone program at Holme House Prison, working with drug counselors, and “wishes to change.” Nevertheless, the Bolton Court defendant was sentenced to three years in prison.
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