Years behind bars for young Nottingham drug dealers who tried to run from police

Louie Knight and Nashon Maleta both received long custodial terms

These two young drug dealers, snared as part of organised raids by the police targeting the supply of class As in Nottingham, have been put behind bars for years. Nottingham Crown Court heard how both Louie Knight and Nashon Maleta tried to run from officers when coordinated warrants were carried out at two properties in The Meadows.

Both had on them large amounts of both crack cocaine and heroin as well as phones which had messages on them showing they were supplying the highly-addictive powders to users.

Sending Maleta to a young offender’s institution for three years, Judge James Sampson said: “You were 19 at the time and when you were arrested you had heroin and crack cocaine wraps worth around £1,100. You were frank in your pre-sentence report saying you wanted to make some quick money and no doubt you were attracted by the lifestyle of the drugs world.

“You turned a blind eye to class A drugs which blight lives, cause crime and destroy communities.” And jailing Knight for five years and eight months, the judge said: “Sadly, this is your third class A conviction but I have read your pre-sentence report, you are still a young man and there is time to change.”

Sam Lowne, prosecuting, said police carried out a raid on an address in Meredith Close, on June 23, 2023, searched the address and found drugs. He said Knight attempted to run out of the back of the property but was captured and mobile phones were seized from him on which was evidence he was dealing.

The prosecutor said: “There were 62 individual wraps of heroin worth £620 and a cling film wrap containing 63g worth £6,210 of crack cocaine. A further cling film wrap containing 28g of heroin worth £2,820.

“He was interviewed and gave a prepared statement in which he said he was simply sleeping at that address.” Mr Lowne said a second raid at an address in Lammas Gardens, was carried out on July 26 and Maleta was inside it.

He said: “Despite being handcuffed, he tried to jump out of a first floor bedroom. 67 wraps of crack cocaine were found and 58 wraps of heroin.”

Both Knight, 23, of Newbold Street, Bilborough, and Maleta, 20, of Sketchley Street, St Ann’s, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Almas Ben-Aribia, for the older man, said: “He did not have the most stable home as a child, his parents split up when he was seven and he left home aged 17 and started smoking cannabis. He has a two-and-a-half year old child and now faces the prospect of missing out on seeing that child growing up.”

And Phil Gibbs, for Maleta, said: “He tells me he chose the wrong path, lost his self-respect and has let down his mother who is a single parent. But he wants to be able to regain that self-respect and look her in the eye in the future. He accepts he’s going to custody and while in prison has resolved to grow up and choose a different path when he is released.”