Over six years in jail for drug dealer who lived the high life with sports cars and stashed thousands of pounds worth of cocaine and pills in his garage at Navenby

Officers searched the property at Manor Farm, Navenby, in November 2016 and found 76g of cocaine with a street value of £2,800 together with 2,000 diazepam tablets inside a tub.

As the search continued they discovered a further 278g of cocaine which had a purity of 82 per cent.

The drugs were being held by personal trainer Philip Dyer who was using a garage at the premises as a warehouse to store drugs.

Philip Plant, prosecuting, said that the cocaine was capable of being bulked up with a cutting agent to make a kilo of the drug available for sale.

He told the court: “He was allowing the premises to be used as a warehouse for a significant amount of drugs. He was clearly a very trusted member of the operation.”

Two illegal stun guns were also found at the property.

Mr Plant said Dyer was also involved in a series of frauds to obtain high performance cars including vehicles such as a £62,000 Mercedes and another worth £53,000. He also obtained high value Porsche and Mercedes vehicles.

The cars were bought on credit by James Dunsby who claimed he was earning £57,000 a year as a design manager although he held a different position working for an upholstery firm at a salary of £22,000.

Dyer made repayments on the vehicles but an investigation began after he defaulted on one of the payments. The vehicles were later recovered although the finance companies lost out by more than £35,000.

Mr Plant said that Dunsby provided the false information and documents which enabled the fraud to be carried out.

The subsequent investigation revealed that Dyer had stashed away a quarter of a million pounds cash in bank accounts held in the names of other people.

Philip Dyer, 37, of Burton Waters, Lincoln, admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply and three further charges of illegal possession of drugs.

He also admitted conspiracy to defraud and three charges of fraud. He further admitted four charges of possession of criminal property and possession of a prohibited weapon. He asked for a further offence of fraud to be taken into consideration.

Dyer was jailed for a total of six years and four months.

Judge Andrew Easteal, passing sentence, told him: “You are a con man and a money launderer. For around four years you were actively, busily and intelligently involved in a whole series of frauds and financial crimes.

“You lived that life. There were fast cars and you had the physique to back it up. No doubt there were many people in awe of you and felt intimidated by you.

“It was all just an illusion. It was just base dishonesty. It is pathetic. It is all the more sad when it was carried out by someone who has the intelligence and wit to do so much more with his life.

“Whilst all this was going on you were involved in drugs too.

“There has to be a significant prison sentence for you.”

James Dunsby, 35, of Bramley Road, Long Eaton, admitted a single charge of conspiracy to defraud. He was given a 14 month jail sentence suspended for two years with 200 hours of unpaid work.

Mark Watson, for Dyer, said his intention was to sub let the cars.

“It was not a fraud designed to take ownership of these vehicles. Each vehicle was returned in a proper and good condition.”

He said that Dyer was acting as a warehouseman for the cocaine and was not involved in either the preparation of the drug for sale or supplying.

“This arose out of a debt to persons the defendant knows to be dangerous.”

Christopher Hogg, for Dunsby, said his client had no previous convictions and made no financial gain from the offence.

○ Dyer had lived an extravagant lifestyle renting properties in Burton Waters and Navenby, as well as renting prestige cars including a BMW M4, say Lincolnshire Police.

In a statement, the force said officers received information that a BMW M4 had been obtained from a car company in Essex by deception in April 2016. After making further enquiries, officers located and seized the BMW from Dyer’s address at Burton Waters, Lincoln.

On November 7, 2016 a warrant was executed at the home address of Dyer at Manor Farm, Navenby. Dyer was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs after boxes of drugs was found in the garage of his house, say police.

A search of the property found that Dyer was in possession of two high powered vehicles, all obtained by fraud and deception, and he was also in possession of controlled class A and B drugs, a large amount of cutting agents, three stun guns, and mobile phones. He was charged with supply of Class A and B drugs, possession of weapons, money laundering and numerous fraud offences.

DC Cath Bolland, Investigating Officer, said: “We found out very quickly that Dyer was the controlling influence in a scheme to launder money earned through illegal activities, including the supply of Class A and B drugs. Dyer was able to fraudulently lease high powered, prestige motor vehicles for many years which were funded by his criminal enterprise. To facilitate this he had access to bank accounts that were fraudulently set up in the names of close family members.

“His property was searched, and inside we found substantial evidence of his criminal activities, including class A and B drugs, and three stun guns. This was a complex investigation, where the offender got away with living a life of luxury made from illegal activities for many years, and needed to be put before the courts.”

James Dunsby was sentenced for his part in conspiring to help Dyer gain the BMW M4 and a Porsche Panamera between 2015 and 2016, said police.