A DRUG dealer who was caught by police on the M27 has avoided jail despite being armed with knuckle dusters.
Sepan Qasim had £565 in cash and an ounce of cannabis when he was stopped on the M27 near Eastleigh.
The 25-year-old had been a passenger in a BMW 4-Series when it was stopped by officers on patrol.
A search was conducted, with officers discovering a knuckle duster in Qasim’s jacket pocket.
They also discovered a phone which had 199 contacts on it, believed to be linked to drug dealing.
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The driver of the vehicle, a woman, was later dealt with at magistrates' court while Qasim, a car washer, was hauled in front of Southampton Crown Court.
He appeared on Monday after admitting possession with intent to supply a class B drug and possession of an offensive weapon.
Prosecuting, Christopher Hewertson told the court how the cannabis in his possession was for “commercial supply”, adding the cash found equated to an estimated 20 to 30 drug deals.
Qasim, who has four previous convictions for 15 offences, including drug issues and traffic offending, spent around 11 months in custody after the offence which took place on July 7, 2020.
Mitigating, Louise McCullough argued that it had taken too long to sentence him - saying: “It couldn’t be a simpler case”.
She went on to say that he had been “self-medicating from cannabis” at the time of the offending and that the remand period “allowed him to detox from that”.
The court was told how he is now clean from drugs and the people he associated with at the time are no longer in his life.
The judge, Recorder Benjamin Newton, said Qasim had a “significant role” in the drug dealing and an “expectation of significant financial advantage”.
He added in relation to the knuckle duster: “This was something you had on your person whilst you were out engaged in drug dealing.
“The fact that it has taken so long to get to this court is what saves you today.”
He handed Qasim, of Alexandra Road, Portsmouth, an 11-month prison sentence but suspended it for 12 months.
An order was also made for the cash and drugs to be forfeited with the cannabis to be destroyed.
Mr Newton added: “If in the next 12 months you commit any offence you will be brought back to court.
“I hope that period is behind you now and that you can move forward. I wish you the very best of luck.”
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