Supplier of £100,000 of cocaine to drug dealers to repay £1

Thomas Sullivan, as an upstream supplier, played a leading role in the distribution of 3kg of the class A drug to small-scale downstream distributors over a period of around a year.

The 25-year-old’s illegal enterprise came to an abrupt end however when police raided his Woolston home.

Sullivan appeared for sentence at Liverpool Crown Court in January after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply of cocaine and possession of cannabis.

Here, he was told that the drug trade is a ‘curse on communities’ and ‘causes misery to countless people’, and he was jailed for 10 years.

The defendant appeared back before the same court recently for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to learn how much money from his illegal enterprise he would have to repay.

However, the court concluded that a confiscation order of a nominal £1 was appropriate.

A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service previously told the Warrington Guardian: “A confiscation cannot be made where a defendant holds no available assets.

“In the last five years, more than £530million has been recovered from CPS obtained confiscation orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending.

“Nearly £118million of that amount was returned to victims of crime by way of compensation.”

During Sullivan’s sentencing hearing, the court heard how on March 19 last year, police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home.

Officers found him to be in possession of a Nokia mobile phone, as well as a wrap containing a small amount of cocaine consistent with personal use.

Also discovered was a set of digital scales with white powder, while next to the scales was a piece of paper with numbers on, however most of the writing had been blurred by liquid damage.

Thomas Sullivan was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court

Two bags containing just under 16g of cannabis were also recovered.

When examined, the Nokia revealed evidence of the supply of cocaine involving the defendant, with people placing orders and arranging for delivery.

Sullivan was sentenced on a basis of plea, which was accepted by the CPS, that his involvement in the conspiracy to supply cocaine was limited to no more than 3kg.

According to the CPS, the street value of the cocaine in total would be around £108,000.

He worked as an ‘uphill or upstream’ supplier of cocaine to small scale distributors ‘downstream’ between April 1, 2020 and March 19, 2021.

The court heard that Sullivan played a leading role, with influence in a chain and having an expectation of substantial financial gain through organising and supplying on a commercial scale.

Henry Blackshaw, defending, said that his client was only 24 years of age when the offending started and that the dad was a ‘family man’.

He also highlighted that Sullivan was ‘lightly convicted’, has expressed his remorse and was determined to avoid repetition of his offending on his release back into the community.

After stating that the defendant was ‘clearly looking at custody, and clearly custody of some length’, recorder Ian Harris said: “Your role in this conspiracy was a leading role.

“This type of offending is prevalent, and class A drugs are dangerous and toxic.

“The supply of such drugs is responsible for violent crime, causes misery for countless people, and is a curse on our communities.

“On the level you were operating at, it was organised and criminally sophisticated.”