A High Wycombe drug dealer who was caught with thousands of pounds worth of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine has been jailed for more than four years.

Lucas Gomes, 21, of Conegra Court, has been locked away for four years and six months after he admitted to multiple drug offences.

Sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court today (Friday), the court heard how on February 8, 2021 and April 9, 2021, officers raided Gomes’s flat and found large quantities of drugs both times.

Gomes’s defence counsel argued that the 21-year-old was a victim of manipulation and received beatings in prison from his tormentors. However, Judge Catherine Tulk found that this did not hold up and that Gomes clearly benefitted financially from being a drug dealer.

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Outlining the evidence against Gomes, prosecutor Jack Wright told the court how during the first police raid on February 8, 2021, 28g of cocaine was discovered, with a street value of around £2,800.

During a second raid on the property on April 9, 2021, Gomes attempted to hold the door to prevent the police from getting inside.

After they forced their way in, officers discovered 27g of heroin, 21g of crack cocaine and 132g of cannabis, as well as improvised spoons and blow torches, indicating that Gomes had been “cooking” the crack cocaine in his flat.

Among other drug paraphernalia, officers also discovered a £950 pair of trainers belonging to Gomes.

The total value of the drugs discovered in the second raid was around £7,500.

During both police raids, Gomes had been serving a suspended sentence for a knife-related offence. Knives were found in the course of both raids.

In mitigation, defence barrister William Chipperfield argued that Gomes had been exploited into dealing the drugs.

Mr Chipperfield told the court that during the time he has been in prison – since April 2021 when he was first remanded into custody, Gomes has received beatings from those who exploited him.

He said: “There is a background to Mr Gomes’s offending which is linked to manipulation of him by others.

“In a drug or crack house, it is not unusual for a young person to be taken advantage of.”

Mr Chipperfield added that a modern slavery assessment of Gomes fell through because he refused to name his exploiters as he was serving in the same prison as them at HMP Bullingdon.

He said: “He was serving alongside the same people he was being asked to name.

“The fighting was Mr Gomes defending himself from the people that were exploiting him on the outside and trying to exploit him on the inside.”

After hearing the evidence, Judge Tulk was not convinced that Gomes was a victim of exploitation, pointing to the way he benefitted financially from the drug dealing.

She said: “There is no suggestion that you were groomed or controlled, particularly not in relation to the second occasion, when you chose to get involved all over again.

“You had an expectation of significant financial advantage. You were not performing a limited function, you were involved in getting the drugs ready for sale.”

Gomes was sentenced to 54 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to supply cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin, and possession of cannabis.