Finance worker 'threw it all away' after he was caught dealing drugs in Leeds

University graduate Abbass Arif was caught by police with more than £840 worth of drugs in August 2022 on Enfield Avenue, Harehills. It included ketamine and cannabis, as well as nine dealer bags of cocaine. He also had £500 in cash and a mobile phone containing messages related to dealing.

But Leeds Crown Court heard that the 32-year-old had held down a good job in a finance company until cutbacks.

He was jailed for 30 months by Judge Tahir Khan KC who told him: “You had a good job but you threw it all away by becoming involved in drug supply. It’s a scourge that causes misery for untold numbers of people who become addicted. If you deal in class A drugs you must expect to go to prison.”

The court heard that Arif had been a student at Leeds Beckett University who graduated in 2015 before landing a good job with the Lloyds Group. Mitigating, Anastasis Tasou described his downfall as “somewhat of a tragedy” having been on a “highly-productive path”.

Arif of Harehills Lane, Harehills, has no previous convictions, but had been a regular cocaine user. Mr Tasou said Arif had “always been able to keep a lid on it and kept it under control”.

But he lost the job after four-and-a-half years and during lockdown his drug use escalated, using cocaine daily and which led to him running up a significant debt. A probation report suggested that he began dealing drugs to friends to clear that debt, but the lure of easy money led him to dealing to others. Arif confessed that he “became complacent in the lifestyle”.

Mr Tasou said: “It’s a tragedy of how lives can be ruined, not just those who use but those like Mr Arif.”

He argued that Arif could be spared a jail sentence, but Judge Khan said: “I have thought long and hard about whether it’s possible to suspend the sentence, but my public duty drives me to the conclusion and only an immediate sentence of custody can be justified. It has to be in accordance with the guidelines.”