Man jailed over £145,000 crack cocaine stash found in Rotherham kitchen as drug dealer tried to flee
Police search led to unexpected drugs bust
A Rotherham man has been jailed for more than five years after police stumbled upon a massive haul of crack cocaine.
Police attended an address on Hartington Close in May this year, for an unrelated matter which required a search of the property.
Officers informed those present, including 44-year-old William Swindells, that a search would be conducted.
Swindells then became obstructive and reluctant to grant officers entry to the kitchen area, said South Yorkshire Police.
After getting into the kitchen, officers discovered a large quantity of what appeared to be crack cocaine, with Swindells then attempting to flee the address.
Swindells was quickly arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
As officers continued searching, they then discovered a ruck sack which contained a large quantity of crack cocaine estimated at a value of over £145,000, and cash.
Drug preparation paraphernalia was recovered from the kitchen.
When questioned by officers, Swindells admitted that he planned to prepare the drugs found inside the ruck sack into 'smaller street deals' and that the cash found inside the ruck sack was payment for carrying out the work, stating to officers that he was doing it to fund gambling debts.
Detective Constable Ben Partridge, from the force’s Rotherham Fortify team, said: "We take drug crime extremely seriously - we simply will not tolerate it within Rotherham and across South Yorkshire.
"Illegal drugs devastate lives and communities, which is why it is crucial that we put criminals like Swindells behind bars to ensure the public are kept safe from harm.
"For us to continue our work in tackling drug crime, we need the support of our communities. If you have any information that can assist in the work we're doing, please do report it to us. No matter how small the information you have is, this could be what we need to ensure another criminal like Swindells gets taken off our streets."
Swindells, of Russell Street, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court and was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison.