A 54-year-old drug dealer claimed he found a gun ‘down by the canal’ after cops uncovered it in a sock during a raid. David Finney was spotted at an industrial estate in Newton-le-Willows with a dark bag. When he tried to make a run for it in his Merc, the feds swooped and caught him red-handed.
Inside the bag, they found a stash of class A drugs, a loaded revolver, and over 70 rounds of ammo. The haul included 375g of high-purity coke worth £15-26k and just over a kilo of heroin with a street value of £46-70k.
Finney’s lawyer tried to play it down, calling him a ‘family man’ who got in deep with a drug debt. But the judge wasn’t buying it: 'Firearms are a grave concern. They maim and kill.' Finney pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 10 years in the clink.
Finney claimed he found the gun by the canal a few years back, never fired or loaded it, but admitted to cleaning it up. The judge made it clear: 'He understands he will pay a high price for his stupidity.'