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Drug dealer who posed with shotgun sent back to jail after being caught with cocaine in pants
@Source: dailyrecord.co.uk
A "stupid" drug trafficker who posed for a picture while armed with a shotgun and spelled his initials using ammunition has been sent back to jail after cops found a stash of drugs and cash in his home. Joshua Caldwell was linked to a major drugs conspiracy in 2016 after police found pictures of firearms on a seized phone, including one image showing an antique French pistol beside several bullet casings which had been arranged to form the "chilling" words: "F*** Dingle rats." A huge probe into the drug activity saw Merseyside cops recover heroin and cocaine worth nearly £120,000, as well as several guns. Caldwell has now been sent back to prison to serve the remainder of his 15-year sentence after he was caught with cocaine in his underwear while out on licence, at which stage police officers also seized a Rolex watch from his girlfriend's wrist. Liverpool Crown Court heard last week that police were passing Caldwell's home on Harrismith Road at around 3.30pm on March 2 this year when he was seen entering a Vauxhall car . The 34-year-old was said to have been "nervous" when subsequently approached by officers, who were also unable to establish the ownership of the vehicle, reports the ECHO . Derek Jones, prosecuting, described how this led to a search of his address , which saw four "golf ball sized" packages of cocaine and £2,035 in cash recovered from the bedrooms. PCs also noticed a Rolex on his partner's wrist, which Caldwell stated he had purchased for her. This led to the watch, which was valued at around £4,000, also being seized. The defendant subsequently volunteered further bags of drugs and a mobile phone from inside his underwear following his arrest. Caldwell remained silent under interview other than telling detectives that the money was "a gift from his birthday", which fell two days later. His criminal record shows two previous convictions for four offences, receiving two years in a young offenders' institute in 2009 for possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and 15 years in 2016 for conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to possess a firearm. Having been released on bail, Caldwell was again arrested at his then home in August of that year as police recovered £15,150 in cash, a set of scales , tick lists and drug paraphernalia. His own counsel maintained that he was not the "Mr Big" of the plot as a leading figure in such a conspiracy would not be so "bloody stupid" as to be pictured holding a gun. Caldwell has since been recalled on licence in relation to this sentence, and is not due for release until 2030 as a result. In court he admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply and two counts of possession of criminal property. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 2,035 days on Tuesday. This is the minimum seven-year sentence for a third drug trafficking offence minus credit of 20 per cent for a guilty plea. Sentencing, Recorder Richard Pratt KC said: "This was by no means the first time you have been involved in the supply of drugs. "It is a point of regret, needless to say, that the severe sentence you received in 2016 did not have the lasting effect it ought to have had upon you. Having lost a good proportion of your 20s, you are now, inevitably , going to have to spend a fair bit of time in your 30s in prison, which, I am sure you appreciate more than anybody, is a waste of your life."
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