A 'misguided decision' has cost an 'intelligent' pharmacology student his place at university after he was caught dealing cocaine at a Midlands nightclub. Waqar Shabaz, 20, now of Cannock Road, Featherstone, was suspected by security staff at Rock City in Nottingham of dealing the class A drug outside the male toilets on January 18 last year.
Nightclub arrest and discovery
Security staff found Shabaz with wraps of cocaine, along with cash and a burner phone. The phone contained marketing messages, including one that said: 'Yes, my people, get your sniff tonight'. Police later searched his student accommodation in Radford Boulevard, Nottingham, uncovering designer watches, jewellery, clothing, and cocaine with an estimated street value of £1,160.
Court proceedings
At Nottingham Crown Court, prosecutor Abigail Hill stated that ahead of his arrest, Shabaz had sent messages indicating he was 'active all around Notts tonight'. He gave a 'no comment' interview but later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine. The court heard that Shabaz received messages such as 'you got gear?' and 'can you do three for £100, bro?'
Aaron Lyn-Kew, mitigating, described Shabaz as 'an intelligent young man who comes from a supportive family'. His parents, a financial advisor and an insurance broker, attended court to support him. Lyn-Kew added: 'He was at the University of Nottingham studying pharmacology but he has now lost that place. He still has hopes and aspirations of going back to university and is currently doing a building apprenticeship and an electrician's course. He made a foolish and misguided decision and might have been a little young and naïve to recognise the wider consequences of his offending.'
Sentence and judge's remarks
Judge Nirmal Shant KC gave Shabaz a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered 150 hours of unpaid work. The judge stated: 'Those who deal in class A drugs should understand the courts take the matter extremely seriously. And those who deal need to understand they usually end up in custody. But in terms of the mitigating features, you lost your opportunity to do a degree, you have no previous conviction, and, most importantly, people speak in the most glowing terms of you, and you were only 19 at the time. You must understand that dabbling in class A drugs is not an easy way to make money, it is an easy way to end up in prison. You have been extremely lucky today, you will not be lucky on the next occasion.'
