Dad who was importing ecstasy to sell on caught with £42K drugs stash in home

A dad's £42,500 stash of drugs was uncovered by police after border force officials intercepted a parcel destined for his address.

Ryan Mason, 25, ordered over 1,000 ecstasy pills and over £10,000 of powdered ecstasy - but his package was opened at Coventry postal hub in May 2022. Days later, police turned up at his door with a search warrant.

They found 2,965 ecstasy tablets - worth £30,000. A further 251 grams of ecstasy was taken away - worth £12,500, when sold at street level. Mason had £5,200 in cash at his home; two wraps of cocaine; some cannabis sweets and four sets of digital weighing scales.

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Police searched through Mason's phone and found texts showing that he was selling the drugs to individual users and to suppliers, in larger quantities. When he was arrested, Mason told police that he'd recently become unemployed.

He later pleaded guilty to importing ecstasy; being concerned in the supply of ecstasy; and to the possession of cocaine and cannabis. He has previous convictions

In mitigation, Martin Scarborough said that since the offences, over two years ago, Mason has become a dad and his partner is expecting another child. "He stresses they weren't trying because he knew what was coming today" Mr Scarborough told the court.

Mason's partner watched from the public gallery, as Mr Scarborough said that his client is now in a good job, with a decent income, in engineering and that he is clean from drugs.

Judge Chris Smith told Mason, who stood in the dock, wearing a black t-shirt: " This is an unhappy day because for you, at the age of 25, offending that you engaged in 30 months ago, has now caught up with you. You were dealing in MDMA - ecstasy - a highly dangerous drug. You were importing it and selling it on."

Mason, of Kirriemuir Road in Hartlepool, was jailed for five-years-five-months. The judge told him that he must work with his barrister to set out his finances, as prosecutors pursue a proceeds of crime application.

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