Oswaldtwistle landlord told to pay back just £266 from cannabis dealing (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Oswaldtwistle landlord told to pay back just £266 from cannabis dealing
1:52pm Friday 2nd December 2011 in Oswaldtwistle
THE landlord of a charity hostel who made thousands running a cannabis factory on the side has been ordered to pay back just £266.
Naeem Sarwar, 33, was jailed last year after police raided his flat at Maundy Relief in Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, where he was the resident landlord.
They found 221 individual bags of cannabis ready for sale with an estimated street value of almost £5,000.
Despite a character reference letter from the charity founder Dorothy McGregor, Sarwar was sentenced to two-and-a-half years.
At a proceeds of crime hearing at Burnley Crown Court this week, it was established that he had benefited from his dealing to the amount of £6,980.76.
But the court heard he only had assets of £266.32 and made an order to pay back that amount within three months or face an extra three months in jail.
Drugs officers found 91.7 grams of cannabis in a silver starred box, in Sarwar’s flat at the top of the Union Street building and a further 284.6g of the drug in hundreds of little ‘wraps’, plus a shopping list of all the equipment needed to start a cannabis growing operation.
In the basement, officers found growing equipment.
At sentencing, Sarwar was described by the judge as a ‘Walter Mitty character living in a state of illusion’.
Mrs McGregor’s letter said he had been a ‘useful servant and good landlord’ for Maundy Relief.
Comments(11)
Common_Sense1
says...
4:25pm Fri 2 Dec 11
The Elephant
says...
4:38pm Fri 2 Dec 11
I bet Oswaldtwistle crime rates dropped like a rock when they banged him up.
Eejits
Good call
says...
4:50pm Fri 2 Dec 11
floydbrfc
says...
4:57pm Fri 2 Dec 11
Good call wrote:how many letters ?
" a Walter Mitty character living in a state of illusion" reminds me of a bald Scottish fella,likes a drink......
floydbrfc
says...
4:58pm Fri 2 Dec 11
'Kean on getting out..!
says...
8:02pm Fri 2 Dec 11
The Elephant wrote:I am wondering if the founder of the charity was aware this criminal was active..? If so how many more criminals is this charity supporting and even ladies and gentlemen standing by after arrest...? And supplying a character reference after his arrest is just a bit of a kick in the teeth to anyone who as given this charity support.
It was really worth the effort wasn't it. Assaults and TWOCs are ten a penny, but no, lets hammer the guy growing plants, yeah that'll help.
I bet Oswaldtwistle crime rates dropped like a rock when they banged him up.
Eejits
Maundy relief will never get any support from me or any of my
family members ever again.
tbone2
says...
12:45pm Sat 3 Dec 11
mavrick
says...
6:30am Sun 4 Dec 11
tbone2 wrote:and my next job is?
should we take a leaf out of his book n make thousands of tax free cash for such little deterrant then just put yr assetts in someones name wot a load of pants
Dave139
says...
9:26am Mon 5 Dec 11
Black Car Guy.
says...
6:40pm Tue 6 Dec 11
prince of darkness says...
3:53pm Fri 2 Dec 11