A drug dealer broke down in tears and confessed he had heroin and cocaine stashed between his buttocks after being caught "red handed" by a drone.
An airborne camera captured Anthony McGee in the act of selling illicit substances on the streets of Liverpool city centre. Despite initially making attempts to hide his drugs, he then revealed he had hidden hundreds of pounds worth in his underwear.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday, February 17, that police operating the drone on the afternoon of December 16 last year spotted the 39-year-old walking from London Road into Camden Street then into an alleyway. Peter Hussey, prosecuting, described how McGee – of Martland Avenue in Aintree – had a plastic bag in his hand and conducted transactions with two individuals.
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He stuffed the bag down the back of his pants then went into a shop on London Road, where he was arrested in possession of a Nokia phone which was "ringing constantly" and £140 in cash. No drugs were initially found upon him, and he was taken into custody for a strip search.
Mr Hussey told the court: "It was perfectly evident that he was holding his buttocks tightly clenched because he was holding something there. He steadfastly refused to produce anything."
McGee was then told he would be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital, but while being transported "broke down in tears" and confessed that he had had drugs "hidden in his backside". He handed over 60 wraps of heroin and cocaine to officers, class A drugs worth around £600.
The defendant gave the police his mum's address, which was then searched – although it became apparent that he "hadn't been there for months". McGee was released on bail but failed to surrender in mid-January, after which he was spotted "wandering the streets" of the city centre and was arrested again.
He has a "bad record with numerous convictions" for offences largely of "acquisitive crime", but only one for trafficking illicit substances on Isle of Man in 2004. This saw him receive a "significant sentence" for the supply and production of drugs.
Rachel Oakdene, defending, told the court that the dad-of-two suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder following an "incident where he was assaulted with acid". She added: "The drugs were concealed between his buttocks, but he did volunteer them.
"Clearly he was in a low in his life at that time. His criminal record is perhaps indicative of someone with a drug dependency.
"More recently, his offending seems to have been petty criminality. The root of these types of offences seems to be that he was homeless following an argument with his mother.
"He started more frequently using cocaine and heroin and was dealing to fund his own addiction. He vows to use his time in custody constructively."
McGee admitted possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 34 months.
Forfeiture of the drugs, phone and cash was also ordered. Sentencing, Recorder Michael Maher said: "I have seen impressive drone technology which essentially caught you red-handed dealing drugs."
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