A teenager bailed by police after being caught with thousands of pounds worth of drugs and cash during lockdown offended again in the exact same manner almost a year to the day later.

Earlier this week, Awase Mehmood was jailed after a jury found him guilty following a trial of drug dealing in Blackburn.

Preston Crown Court heard how Mehmood was 18 at the time he was first caught dealing drugs in November 2020, when parts of Lancashire were under strict lockdown rules due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hanifa Patel, prosecuting, said that around 1am on November 10, 2020, officers stopped a black Volkswagen care in Oak Street, Blackburn, and after noticing a strong smell of cannabis, carried out a search of the car, and its four occupants.

She told the court: “The country was under lockdown and parts of Lancashire had some tight restrictions.

“The defendant was in the back seat, and the driver told the police they had just ‘come to chill and have a joint’.

“The decision was made to search the vehicle and police found a cannabis grinder on the defendant, as well as 36 wraps of crack cocaine worth around £720.

“A further eight wraps of larger quantities of crack cocaine were found worth around £400.

“Altogether he had £1,120 worth of drugs in his possession.

“He also had two mobile phones and some cash.

“His home was searched and in his bedroom police found a set of scales, 224 wraps of crack cocaine worth £4,500 and larger wraps of crack cocaine worth £2,200, as well as £1,310 in cash.”

Ms Patel said Mehmood was interviewed and released under investigation by police.

A year later, while still under investigation, in November 2021, officers stopped a taxi in Blackburn after suspecting a drug deal had taken place between a person in the taxi and a person on the street.

Ms Patel went on: “The defendant was in the rear of the taxi and police found him with 22 wraps of heroin worth £220 and smaller wraps valued at £80.

“He also had £554 in cash on him and following analysis of his mobile phone, police found messages relating to drug dealing.

“When his home was searched again, a further 20 wraps of heroin were found.”

Ms Patel said Mehmood was interviewed for a second time and again provided no comment answers.

It was estimated the total value of all the drugs seized amounted to £8,720.

Mehmood, of Bastwell Road, Blackburn, was charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, three counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, possession of cannabis, and two counts of possession of criminal property.

He denied all charges and took the case to trail in 2022, by which time he was aged 20.

However, the court heard the jury took very little time to convict him of all eight charges after he told them he was “under duress to sell the drugs” and had been “directed from above”.

Mitigating for Mehmood, who is now 22, Mark Sharman said: “At that age he makes a stark debut into the criminal justice system.

“It’s right to say he was a young man, with little or any direction in life.

“It’s difficult to get away from the submission that there was some financial gain, if only to fund his own habit, but he was adamant that he was performing some of his role under pressure due to a drug debt.”

In sentencing, Judge Andrew Jefferies KC said: “The problem here is that if he’d pleaded guilty and that mitigation was offered there’s little investigation into that basis, but his problem lies in that he told the jury this and they rejected it.

“No doubt, in part, the jury, in rejecting your explanation to them, would have been concerned that someone acting under duress was in possession of such large quantities of drugs.

“And I agree with that rejection and will sentence you simply as a drug dealer.”

Mehmood was jailed for three years and nine months.