County lines heroin and crack dealer jailed after dealing drugs in Scarborough street

Dylan Pickup, 26, was caught by plain-clothed officers as he handed drugs to a woman in St Nicholas Street, prosecutor Brooke Morrison told York Crown Court.

“Police were in an unmarked vehicle when the car in front of them suddenly stopped and a female got out,” added Ms Morrison.

“She was a female known to police as being a drug user in Scarborough.

"She was seen walking around the corner and make an exchange with (Pickup), handing him money and he put something in her hand.”

Pickup, from Leeds, was arrested during the drug deal at about 4.20pm on October 11.

He was searched by officers who found 122 wraps of crack cocaine and 121 wraps of heroin.

The drugs had an estimated street value of £2,230.

Police also seized a mobile phone and £550 cash from Pickup.

Ms Morrison said Pickup was “clearly street dealing as part of County Lines” given the amount and type of drugs.

Pickup was charged with two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply.

He admitted both offences and appeared for sentence on Wednesday November 3.

Ms Morrison said Pickup would have made “significant” profits from the drug-dealing enterprise given the amounts found on him by police.

The court heard that Pickup, a heavy cocaine user, had previous convictions for ABH, affray and possessing a blade.

He was on a community order at the time of the drug bust for a previous offence of drug-driving.

Neil Cutte, mitigating, said there had already been “repercussions” for Pickup who had started dealing after running up a debt with his drug bosses in West Yorkshire.

Pickup, whose parents were in the public gallery, was “scared” of the gang who had sent him to deal drugs in Scarborough after struggling to repay his debts.

Judge Simon Hickey told him: “Class A drugs ruin lives and people who deal in them ruin lives further, and you of all people must know exactly what happens when you deal in crack cocaine and heroin.”

Mr Hickey said although there were people higher up the chain in the “County Lines drug-dealing operation”, it was Pickup’s “choice” to hawk the potentially lethal drugs.

Pickup was jailed for two years and eight months.

He will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.