Reading Festival drug dealers avoid jail sentence

Saif Hussain, 20, of Kings Road, Reading and Amir Ferjani, 19, of Illingworth Avenue, were sentenced at Reading Crown Court for possession of Class B and Class A drugs with intent to supply respectively.

The pair were caught by festival security on August 26, 2021. Class A and Class B drugs were found under the seat of a moped alongside an unknown quantity of cash and mobile phones.

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Data downloaded from the phones found messages related to drug dealing at the festival which were linked to Ferjani.

On April 27 at Reading Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for 18 months for possession with intent to supply cocaine. He was also made subject to trail monitoring for six months and must complete 30 rehabilitation activity days.

For the second count of possession with intent to supply MDMA, he received a concurrent two year jail sentence, also suspended for 18 months concurrent

Lastly, he received a four-month concurrent sentence for possession with intent to cannabis, suspended for 18 months.

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Today (May 18) at the same court, Hussain received a community order for possession with intent to supply cannabis.

The court heard that cannabis was found inside the moped and also at his home address alongside a small quantity of cash.

It is understood that Hussain was not dealing at the music event due to messages found on his phone which stated he would leave the festival site to sell the Class B drugs.

He was 18 years old at the time of the offence and it of previous good character.

His defence counsel suggested there was an ‘element’ of Hussain being ‘lead’ by others.

However, Judge Emma Nott rejected this. She said: “I don’t think so. I dealt with the other man and he was very vulnerable and younger.”

Before sentencing Hussain, who is a Papa John pizza delivery driver, Judge Nott urged him to stop using cannabis himself.

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“That is going to need to stop,” she said. “Unless you want to go down the path of paranoia and depression.

“I’m going to give you the best opportunity to understand that by imposing a community order.”

Hussain will also need to complete 40 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

An order has also been made for the forfeiture and destruction of all drug paraphernalia.