Alfie Smith was seen dealing at Flowerpots Fields near the River Exe in Exeter, close to a skate park frequented by youngsters. Police recovered designer clothes from his nearby residence and found messages on his phone offering items as payment.
A dealer who operated at a skate park has been jailed after being caught accepting high-value shoplifted goods in exchange for drugs.
Alfie Smith was seen dealing at Flowerpots Fields near the River Exe in Exeter, close to a skate park frequented by youngsters. Police recovered designer clothes from his nearby residence and found messages on his phone offering items, including a £150 Hollister coat, as payment.
Smith, 22, of no fixed address, was still on prison licence when arrested on May 9. He had previously been jailed for his involvement in a major County Lines operation that used children as young as 13 to sell drugs across Exmouth, Dawlish, and Cullompton. Despite retraining as a building worker during a 20-month sentence, Smith failed to pass a necessary roofing exam due to limited literacy.
Struggling to survive on benefits, Smith obtained heroin and cocaine from an old contact and began selling on a small scale to make money. He admitted two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and was sentenced to three years by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.
Judge Evans noted the skate park's dual use by youths and drug dealers, highlighting the harmful side effect of encouraging shoplifting to pay for drugs. Smith was found with almost £500 worth of heroin, nine bags of crack, cash, and designer goods.
Smith's defense, represented by Miss Rachel Smith, stated he tried to reform after prison, passing the first part of a course to qualify for a CSCS card needed for building work. However, failing the written test twice left him on just £110 a month in benefits after rent, leading him back to dealing to support his cannabis addiction.
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