A police dog in Gateshead got a whiff of somethin' fishy and led officers to Ryan Baker, who was hidin' 59 bags of crack and cocaine inside his car's panel. Initial searches came up empty, but the four-legged detective pointed 'em right to the stash. The haul included 42 bags of crack and 17 bags of coke, worth a cool £1,180.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Baker was pullin' some shady moves on October 29, 2023, when he got pulled over. A deeper dive at his place turned up drug paraphernalia and messages indicatin' supply. With nine previous convictions, the 34-year-old from Park Terrace, Swalwell, had a history of trouble.
Baker copped to possessin' with intent to supply, pleadin' guilty 'cause he was deep in cocaine addiction and debt. Judge Ruwena Khan gave him a 16-month suspended sentence and 200 hours of unpaid work, acknowledgin' his struggle but warnin' against fuelling the cycle of addiction and crime.
Since then, Baker's turned over a new leaf, landin' a gig as a wind turbine tech and findin' stability with his partner. He claims he was holdin' onto the drugs to clear his debt to a dealer, innit.