A South Cumbria cannabis dealer has been sentenced for a crime that came to light as police stopped his illegal “mobile sales unit” because they suspected he was using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
Samuel Klinner’s Toyota Corolla was pulled over on Blackhall Road in Kendal on May 8, 2020.
On speaking to Klinner, now aged 23, officers noted a strong smell of cannabis. During a search of Klinner and his vehicle, numerous bags and containers of cannabis with a total potential street value of up to £3,720 were recovered.
Also seized were mobile phones, weighing scales and almost £2,000 cash. During a lengthy interview, Klinner declined to answer a number of questions but did say he had lost his job and couldn’t remember the last time he had money coming in.
Carlisle Crown Court was told today that when asked whether he had committed the drugs supply crime because he had “no other option”, he replied: “Yes.”
Klinner, of Bainbridge Road, Sedbergh, admitted possessing class B controlled drug cannabis with intent to supply, having confessed to selling it to friends and people he knew who used the illicit substance.
But during almost two years since the crime came to light, Klinner had disengaged from drug use, had been working for the past 12 months and engaged with a number of agencies as he sought to put offending behind him.
As a result, Judge Nicholas Barker imposed an 18-month community order comprising a rehabilitation activity requirement and 100 hours’ unpaid work.
Judge Barker observed that Klinner had been driving “essentially what was a “mobile sales unit” with a “float of cash” when stopped in May 2020. “This court doesn’t expect to see you again,” said the judge. “However, if you are stupid enough to carry on an offending lifestyle then a custodial sentence may follow.”
