Man stored £50k Cash & Cannabis worth £52k in Garage

Imran Badat, aged 43, of Gloucester, was jailed for two years and eight months after police found he had stored almost £50,000 in cash and £52,390 worth of cannabis in a garage.

He kept the stash of cash and Class B drugs inside a garage located in Painswick, Gloucestershire.

Ramin Pakrooh, prosecuting, said on August 12, 2020, a car driven by Badat was followed along the Painswick Road and Norbury Avenue by police and they told him to pull over.

Mr Pakrooh explained: “When the police officers spoke to Badat near the Tesco Express car park they smelt cannabis coming from within the vehicle.

“The car was searched and found to have 2.2kg of cannabis hidden inside it.

“A search of a property in White Horse Lane in Painswick was also carried out and the police seized additional drug paraphernalia.

“In a garage associated with the same address, the officers found more drug paraphernalia and three vacuum-packed cannabis bags in a laundry bag which weighed 3,000 grams.

“Police then seized a yellow JD Sports bag from a property in Kingsway in Gloucester, belonging to Badat, which contained £44,990 in notes.

“The total amount of the cannabis found in Badat’s possession weighed 5,239.31 grams which had a street value of up to £52,390.

“It’s not clear if he works with others or he is a sole trader.”

Gloucester Crown Court heard that Badat was a “connoisseur” of cannabis and was in possession of four ounces of “high quality” product, valued at £1,600, for his own use.

Badat pleaded guilty to being in possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of the proceeds of drug dealing.

Andrew Baker defending said: “It’s a highly unusual case as Badat is not part of any drugs chain or line.

“He has two types of drug, the higher quality for himself, which commands a premium price, and a lower quality that he sells.”

“The lower quality is his own operation and while he makes a small profit from it, it only pays for his own drug use.

“The money found in the sports bag is the cash he owes to other dealers. Badat is a psychological addict to cannabis.”

Badat was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. The judge also ordered the £44,990 in cash to be confiscated as well as forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and paraphernalia.

A proceeds of the crime hearing will be held on February 26, 2021, to determine the amount by which Badat benefited from crime and what assets can be seized from him.