From EDP24.
FFS… it shows how harsh prohibition can be… OK he’s got previous but those are minor crimes that could have occured any time since 1963..
was gonna put this in the “OAP criminals” thread but I don’t even think he’s a criminal TBH! its people like this who take the risks so some of us can have our weekend fun..
If this were my dad/grandad I’d make sure he got loads of christmas cards and all the visits he was entitled to…
Drug dealer Roger Beck is starting a five-year prison sentence.
BEN KENDALL
25 November 2006 08:45
A 60-year-old man caught with up to £49,000 worth of illegal substances was yesterday jailed for five years after a court heard he was driven to drug dealing by spiralling debts.
Speaking after Roger Beck, of St Martins Lane, Norwich, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court, the police officer who led the investigation said he had used his respectable appearance to hide his activities.
Beck had earlier pleaded guilty to four charges involving possessing cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamine with intent to supply, following a raid on his £500,000 home on June 16.
The court heard more than 20 bars of cannabis resin, large quantities of cocaine, 3,438 ecstasy tablets and a smaller amount of amphetamine were found. It is estimated the total haul had a street value between £38,000 and £49,000. Drugs paraphernalia
and a telephone containing incriminating text messages were also found.
Prosecutor Greg Perrins said: “Beck found himself in considerable debt and was introduced to drugs and the supply thereof as a result. He supplied to a limited circle of professionals who were already familiar with drugs.”
He added that Beck had previous convictions for handling stolen goods and common assault.
Matthew McNiff, defending, said Beck’s efforts had been
“inept” and “unsophisticated”, demonstrating that his actions had been motivated by desperation.
“Having found himself in financial dire straits, his motivation was to protect the home of his children and provide for those children,” Mr McNiff added.
Sentencing Beck, Judge Alasdair Darroch said: “This is a serious case. We frequently hear of people involved in such activity for far more acute problems than your own. Your actions were motivated by financial hardship; there are others who are forced into it to provide for a terminally ill child, for example.”
Outside court, Det Con Robin Windsor-Waite, of Norwich CID, said: “It was clear from the outset that Beck was involved in large scale drug supply and had been using his outwardly respectable appearance as a cover.
“The profits were used to fund his lifestyle, which included a substantial property in the heart of the city and two children in private education.
“Beck appeared to have a remarkably casual approach to his drug dealing activity. When police arrived to execute the warrant the electric gates at the end of the drive were open. Tins and packets of drugs littered the kitchen worktops along with digital scales and materials for packaging the drugs into individual wraps.”
