Scarborough 'rocket fuel' cocaine dealer ordered to pay back thousands of pounds

Mark Weaver, 34, bragged about the potency of his drugs in “broadcast” messages sent out to his many customers.

In October last year, he was jailed for four years at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug and possessing criminal cash.

Today, the father-of-two was back in court to face financial-confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act, a means by which the authorities reclaim criminals’ ill-gotten gains for the good of the community.

Prosecutor Rachael Kelly said that Weaver had benefited from his criminal enterprise to the tune of £205,853.

The amount available to him was £16,495.79.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, ordered Weaver to pay the full available amount into public coffers.

He gave Weaver, who was appearing via video link from Lindholme Prison, three months to pay the sum.

Failure to do so would result in a further 12-month prison sentence.

At October’s sentence hearing, the court heard that Weaver had bragged about his “rocket-fuel” cocaine and used a teenage henchman to mete out violence on his behalf.

Weaver was caught with up to £28,000 of cocaine at a house in Scarborough where he was living with his girlfriend, who had no connection to the criminal enterprise.

Brooke Morrison, who was prosecuting at the sentence hearing, said police found grip-seal bags of high-purity cocaine and £11,000 in cash inside the house and Weaver’s car parked outside.

She said Weaver had been dealing for about 11 months between October 2022 and September 2023.

His drug enterprise was smashed after police arrested several people in the Scarborough area, some of whom were well-known drug users, on “unrelated matters”.

Their phones were examined and each of them showed they were being supplied with cocaine by Weaver.

“One of those was a 17-year-old male who was a customer of the defendant, but also working for him,” said Ms Morrison.

Some of the messages on the teenager’s phone showed that Weaver had been “instructing him to put someone’s window through and sell (drugs) on his behalf”.

The teenager told police that, under instruction from Weaver, he had robbed a “well-known drug user” and told him: “How’s it feel getting robbed?

"You did it to Weaver.”

Ms Morrison said that Weaver operated a “deal line” and sent out “broadcast” messages to customers bragging about his high-purity cocaine which he described as “rocket fuel”.

On July 25 last year, he sent out a block message which read: “New stuff. Rocket fuel. Active all night. Drops all round town.”

On August 4, he sent out another broadcast message declaring: “New stuff: 10 out of 10. Drops everywhere.”

On the morning of September 9, police swooped on the property where Weaver had been living with his partner.

When officers entered the property, he was in bed.

Officers searched the property and his vehicle parked outside.

They seized two mobile phones, dealer bags, scales, a large amount of cash and 10 grip-seal bags of cocaine.

The total amount of cash seized from the house and Weaver’s car was over £11,600.

Each of the 10 grip-seal bags contained 1oz of high-purity cocaine.

In total, they would have been worth up to £28,000 if sold on the street.

Weaver, of Spreight Lane Steps, Scarborough, had seven previous convictions for eight offences, namely theft and kindred.

Defence barrister Nick Peacock said Weaver was a family man who had lapsed into drug use during the Covid pandemic and “fairly quickly” developed a cocaine addiction.

According to Weaver, he had started selling drugs to pay off a debt to people who had threatened him.