Man with drug debt caught with burner phone used for heroin and crack sales, sentenced to jail.
Police stopped Khalid Ibrahim in Cardiff last November. They searched him because of reported drug activity. People reported drug deals on Bute Street.
The police found a Nokia phone with two SIM cards. The phone contained messages about selling drugs, specifically heroin and crack.
Khalid admitted to sending messages for months last year. He pleaded guilty to drug charges, but claimed he only sent some of the messages. He used drugs, owed money, and had to hold the burner phone to pay it off. He knew the phone sold drugs and had been in trouble before.
His lawyer argued that he didn’t sell drugs himself, pointing out that police found no drugs or money on him. The lawyer also mentioned that he took a construction course in jail.
The judge emphasized the harm such crimes inflict on communities, noting how burner phones facilitate drug sales and how families suffer from drug problems. The judge also considered his past record.
Khalid Ibrahim received a 27-month jail sentence. He will spend half in jail, followed by supervised release.