Notts couple were having their rent and bills paid in return for selling drugs

They were snared by a police raid on their then home

A Nottinghamshire couple agreed to sell cannabis and amphetamine in return for their rent and bills being paid. Nottingham Crown Court heard how, for a year, Dominika Gras and Michal Markiewicz dealt the two drugs on behalf of a third man who has not yet been prosecuted for his part in the operation.

The pair, who were assisted in court by a Polish interpreter, were caught at their then home with quantities of the class B substances and their mobile phones were seized. On them were messages and evidence they had been taking cash for the third man from “friends and acquaintances”.

Handing both defendants 15-month community orders, Recorder Adrian Jack said: “You were induced to take part in this drugs operation but you are not street dealers and you did this under direction. I accept that the benefit to you was around £225 per month but the operation went on for about a year.”

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Jon Fountain, prosecuting, said police executed a warrant at the address the couple were then living at in Lord Street, close to Mansfield Town Football Club’s One Call Stadium, on February 15, 2022. He said a third man was also present who was a customer.

The prosecutor said: “The property was searched and, most significantly downstairs, in an under stairs cupboard in the living room was 4.6g of cannabis, 17 bags of amphetamine and other quantities of amphetamine. Their mobile phones were seized and on both of them was evidence they had been dealing for about a year.

“The money from the dealing was paying in return for their rent and council tax and so their benefit from it was quite significant.” Gras, 26, and Markiewicz, 36, both now of Princess Street, Mansfield, both pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis and amphetamine.

She has no previous convictions and he has 15 convictions for 33 offences including burglary. Lucia Brieskova, representing both defendants, said both are now working and if they were sent to prison immediately would lose their jobs. She said his last conviction was from 2017.

Miss Brieskova said: “They were dealing to a limited amount of people - friends and acquaintances, they are not typical drug dealers where they stand on street corners selling to random users.”

As part of their community order, the judge ordered Gras to carry out 100 hours unpaid work and Markiewicz 120 hours. The drugs and mobile phones will be destroyed and £160 seized at the address of the police raid will be used for charitable purposes.