Men jailed after police found cash wrapped up in Christmas paper

Two men caught with drugs, weapons and thousands of pounds of cash in Greenbank have been jailed. Reece Navarro aged 24 and from St Albans in Liverpool and 20-year-old Leo Smith, from Raynham Road, Liverpool, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court following their arrests on November 27 last year.

Prosecutor Ed Bailey told the court how officers from Plymouth's Proactive Crime Team police were carrying out an investigation into the two men last year when a Nissan Navara was spotted in the Greenbank area of Plymouth. It drew the officers' attention as record showed it had no insurance and was making journeys around the area at speed before driving back to Clifton Place.

Officers were about to knock on the door of a property when three people got into the vehicle and drove off towards Greenbank Road. The car was stopped by police and Smith was found sitting in the front passenger seat. A search of Smith revealed a lock-knife in his pocket and in the footwall of the front passenger seat officer found a large box, sealed with Christmas wrapping paper. Inside officers found around £3,000 in cash.

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Smith was arrested and officer then entered the Clifton Place property where they found Navarro - who at that time was wanted by Merseyside Police for a recall to prison - in the living room.

The house was searched, as was Navarro and officers found two balls of heroin in his pocket weighing in at 24 and 27 grams. The court heard that in all the heroin was worth around £2,000 wholesale but if broken up into street deals would be worth £4,300.

A search of the room Navarro was standing in revealed a "zombie" knife and £80 in cash, a wrap of a "rocky" substance, a cannabis joint, a bag heat-sealing machine, clear sealing bags, postage bags, a marker pen and a mobile phone on a table.

Mr Bailey explained that interrogation of the phone revealed it was a "graft" phone used to send out "marketing messages" offering class A drugs, including "on all day", "drops everywhere", "Scouse Conner and Tony", "drops all day" and "best about".

During his interview with police Navarro mainly replied "no comment" but on being told how much the drugs found on him were worth he replied that he only thought they were worth around £1,000. He said he "used a few lines of heroin a day" and borrowed money off people.

Smith replied "no comment" to all questions and explained the large amount of cash found in the car was because he did not have a bank account.

Mr Bailey said Navarro had 11 convictions for 26 offences including conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, possession of cannabis and two counts of attempted burglary. Smith had six convictions for 10 offences including three counts of possession of cannabis.

Nick Lewin, representing Navarro, said his client had a low IQ and "entrenched ADHD" which without medication would make him "less sensible in decision making. Navarro claimed he was not getting monetary reward but carried the work to maintain a habit he was "cursed with for many years".

Mr Lewin added that Navarro had come from "a very difficult background indeed".

Ali Rafati, representing Smith, said his client suffered mental health issues, centred around his childhood and care which had impacted on him when he was a young man. The court heard that Smith had been tried by a jury in his absence last November for assaults and was found guilty. As a result, he was handed a 42 month sentence which he was now serving and would be in place until September 20, 2025.

The court heard that he had met up with a local girl and now had a baby on the way. Mr Rafati said that his client had come to Plymouth from Liverpool and while strapped for cash he met Navarro. The court was told he had been working in a low level role for just two weeks at the time he was arrested. His tasks revolved around getting a phone call, meeting a man in a park, collecting drugs and delivering it, collecting he cash which would be given to Navarro "put in a box, wrapped up and sent to an address in Liverpool".

The court was told he "barely" made any money out of it and received a "small wage" for his efforts.

The court heard that Navarro initially pleaded guilty to the drugs supply charge and not guilty to the possession of criminal property charge, while Smith pleaded not guilty to the drugs supply charge and guilty to the possession of criminal property charge. However, at a hearing on April 18 both men pleaded guilty to all charges on a basis of plea which was considered acceptable by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Judge Peter Johnson noted the pre-sentence reports provided by the Probation Service which noted how Navarro had struggled with drugs and was sent to Plymouth with control of a graft phone after having accrued a drugs debt which he had to pay off. He would then take orders from others in control of the business and in return was given drugs to feed his habit. He noted how Smith helped Navarro and was going to get drugs as payment - along with a "wage".

Noting the aggravating and mitigating factors, Judge Johnson handed Navarro a three year prison sentence for all the offences including the possession of the zombie knife. Meanwhile he handed Smith a 12 month sentence but ordered that it ran consecutively to his 42 month term.

Det Sgt Rob Souness of the Plymouth Proactive Policing Team said: "We welcome the decision of the court to issue custodial sentences to these individuals. Smith and Navarro had come to Plymouth operating a county line with the sole purpose to supply class A drugs.

"By supplying these drugs they would have caused harm and misery to our communities and these sentences show, will do everything within our power to prevent them from doing so. I would urge members of the public to contact Devon and Cornwall Police or Crime Stoppers with any information regarding the supply of drugs in their communities".

Anyone with information about drug supply in their community should call police on 101 or visit the Devon and Cornwall Police website here or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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