Student drug dealer jailed for two years

Jarvis Arent, a 19-year-old student who studies in Southampton and is originally from Doncaster, was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court as friends and family watched from the public gallery.

His friend and fellow drug dealer Benjamin Loversuch, also 19, received a suspended sentence for selling cannabis.

The pair were caught after police picked up a ‘strong smell of cannabis’ from Loversuch’s car, leading to the discovery of drugs and subsequent searches of both their home addresses and examination of their mobile phones which showed evidence of drug dealing.

Richard Sheldon, prosecuting, said Arent had admitted using cannabis and ecstasy and selling around 50 tablets a month to fund his habit.

Loversuch, of Broughton Road, made around £200 a week from selling cannabis.

Michael Cane-Soothill, defending Arent, said his client had never been in trouble with the police before and had been shocked to find out he was likely to go to prison.

“It might be a salutary lesson for others if they hear how this situation came about,” he said. “He started using drugs socially and his tolerance to drugs increased. It follows that so did his use.

“It reached the stage where he was able to buy in bulk.

“The temptation when somebody buys in bulk is to sell one or two to friends.

“He made small sums of money, didn’t live an extravagant lifestyle and used it to fund his drug use and social activities.

“To some extent, although he knew what he was doing was illegal, the seriousness was diluted by the fact that others around him were behaving in a similar manner.

“He is an example of how somebody can get involved in something so serious without realising how serious. To say he is ashamed is perhaps an understatement; to say he regrets it is an even bigger understatement.”

Pamela Coxon, defending Loversuch, said her client has stopped using cannabis since being arrested, having previously been using up to £30 a day.

Judge Michael Slater told Arent: “You have participated in an activity that the court can’t overlook.

“Ecstasy is probably the most insidious Class A drug there is. For some reason, it appears to have a veneer of respectability about it.

“But ecstasy kills people. You could have supplied a tablet to a friend and found them dead the next morning.”

Loversuch received an eight-month sentence suspended for two years, with 100 hours of unpaid work.