Teenager caught with class A drugs tried to leave country

Murtaza Khan was found in Accrington in possession of large quantities of crack cocaine and heroin on three separate occasions.

Preston Crown Court heard that the then 17-year-old was released under investigation following the first two instances, but was eventually apprehended and charged after he was caught at Manchester Airport trying to leave the country.

Prosecuting, Paul Brookwell said Khan, who had come to the UK aged 10 with his brother after his father was killed by the Taliban, had been in foster care but had become addicted to drugs at the age of 15.

He said: “On June 29 2022 he was found in a car in Accrington with 86 wraps of crack cocaine worth £860 and 73 wraps of heroin valued at £730.

“He managed to run from police, who recovered the drugs from a chewing gum tub in the passenger side pocket, and also found a mobile phone which contained drug dealing messages dated from June 10 to June 13.

“He was reported as missing from home following this and was eventually arrested on July 3 and was then released under investigation.”

Mr Brookwell said that less than two months later on August 13, Khan was stopped again in Accrington by police who found 55 wraps of drugs on his person. These wraps contained 3g of cocaine and 0.72g of heroin and were worth £410.

Murtaza Khan (Image: Lancs Police)

Mr Brookwell went on: “Cash was found in a gilet he discarded, amounting to £1,512.89, and again he was interviewed and again released under investigation.

“Some five months later on January 10, in Accrington again, he tried to run away from the police but was apprehended and was found to have discarded items during the chase.

“The drugs recovered were 12.7g of crack cocaine worth £1,580 and 10.9g of heroin worth £1,210.

“He was also found with a larger bag which contained 34 bags of cocaine and 26 bags of heroin, amounting to £750.

“The total value of all the drugs seized from him was around £4,250.”

Mr Brookwell said Khan, now 18, was arrested and charged but was then bailed, and on January 12 was stopped at Manchester Airport in breach of his bail trying to board a flight to Brussels.

Defending Khan, who was found guilty at trial in the youth court of two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, and pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and two further counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, Verity Barnes said her client was immature, vulnerable and had been exploited.

She said: “He arrived in the country when he was 10 with his brother and was placed in foster care. His mother stayed in Pakistan, but his father had been killed by the Taliban.

“He had been scouted by Everton but was turned down as he didn’t have the correct paperwork at the time, and this led to him falling in with the wrong crowd.

“He then got a habit and got into debt, and this is what he was doing, paying off his drug debt.

“He wasn’t trying to avoid a penalty by catching a flight to Brussels, someone had bought him a ticket so he could have a holiday and he did have a return flight.

“He’s obtained a number of qualifications while in custody and now has indefinite leave to remain and once released from prison will be supported by his foster mother at her home in Accrington.”

Recorder Michael Maher told the court Khan was clearly someone who had a “good brain and was wasted selling drugs”.

In sentencing, he said: “After the first offence you were released, which made the next two sets of offending even more serious as you knew you were being investigated by the police.

“It’s quite extraordinary to me, bearing in mind all those offences, that you were bailed.

“And you were only remanded when you were caught at Manchester Airport trying to leave the jurisdiction.”

Khan, formerly of youth accommodation in New Hall Lane, Preston, was jailed for two years and eight months.