A drug dealer who was smuggling Class A drugs from Europe to sell in York has been jailed for nearly six years.
Daniel Richard Arthur, 33, of Langwith Stray, Heslington, York, was jailed for five years and 10 months at York Crown Court yesterday (Monday).
He was convicted after a long-running investigation by North Yorkshire Police and the Border Force.
Arthur had previously pleaded guilty to the importation, offering to supply and attempting to possess the Class A controlled drug MDMA – better known as Ecstasy – between 14 February 2017 and 14 October 2018.
Police said he was involved in ordering large amounts of the tablets from the Netherlands.
Then the Border Force intercepted two shipments at Heathrow – on 21 September and 7 November 2018.
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There were 250 tablets seized in the first shipment and 102 tablets in the second.
Detectives in York were able to trace the packages to Arthur’s home address where further MDMA tablets were recovered.
He was arrested and a complex investigation was launched.
‘Drugs wreck lives’
Arthur refused to provide the access code to his phone which delayed the gathering of crucial evidence.
Digital forensic experts had to work around this hurdle to obtain records of the defendant, and this proved pivotal in securing the charges against him.
Detective Constable Darren May, who led the investigation, said: “The outcome at court is very satisfying and demonstrates the collaborative efforts between the Border Force and North Yorkshire Police to take action against Class A drug dealers such as Daniel Arthur.
“He maintained that he was supplying the drugs to an immediate group of friends and work colleagues, and not to the wider public.
“The court did not accept Arthur’s version of events as the evidence overwhelmingly showed that he was a commercial dealer of Ecstasy.
“Drugs wreck lives and taking Ecstasy can have fatal consequences, sometimes following the consumption of just one pill.
“We will not stand by and allow this to happen.”