Tyler Harper: Rotherham dealer now understands scourge of Class A drugs after stint behind bars

A Rotherham dealer who peddled Class A drugs says a stint behind bars on remand means he now understands the impact such substances can have on users. 

The first set of drug offences committed by defendant, Tyler Harper, were brought to light after a property in Mexborough, near Doncaster, was raided by police, a Sheffield Crown Court hearing held on April 15, 2024, heard. 

Prosecutor, Amy Earnshaw, said officers recovered a total of 19 packages of heroin and 36 packages of crack cocaine from the property; which were estimated to have a street value of between £3,110 and £85,000 - with the use of ‘mixing agents’. 

Analysis of the packages, which was carried out by police, ‘forensically linked’ Harper, aged 21, to the drug ‘packaging’ through his DNA.

Consequently, police then carried out a search of Harper’s address, where they seized wraps of the Class A drug cocaine, with an estimated street value of £5,900, Ms Earnshaw said. 

Ms Earnshaw told the court that mobile phones were also seized from the property, and following examination, they were found to contain messages that were ‘indicative of drug dealing’. 

A second individual linked to the drugs at the Mexborough property was charged with offences of possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to supply; and during a sentencing hearing in which he was also dealt with for additional offences, he was jailed for 31 months, the court heard. 

Harper, of Pine Walk, Swinton, Rotherham, answered ‘no comment’ in his police interview, but subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned with the supply of Class A drugs, heroin and crack cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine at an earlier hearing. 

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Defending, Andrew Bailey, told the court: “Since his time in custody, he can now see clearly for himself just how drugs affect people, and how many people are tied to drugs. I asked him how that manifests itself, and he said: ‘It ruins lives’. And he’s seen that for himself.”

Mr Bailey said these offences are now ‘fairly old,’ with the conspiracy to supply Class A drug charges running between May 2021 and January 2023, and the possession with intent to supply dating back to January 5, 2023. 

He said Harper - who was just 17 at the beginning of his offending period - has been remanded into custody for 15 months, since January 2023, which is the equivalent of a 30-month sentence. 

Harper, he added, has ‘lost his good name, let down his family’; and after successfully getting clean of cannabis in custody, is now ‘keen to prove he has grown up and changed’. 

Judge Megan Rhys jailed Harper for 33 months, after coming to the conclusion that his ‘offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified’. 

She told Harper that his time on remand would count towards his sentence, however, which means he ‘is likely to be released in the very near future’. 

“It seems you are motivated to lead a law-abiding life, upon your release. You’ve made yourself clean of drugs while in custody, which is to your credit,” Judge Rhys said. 

She also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs seized.