Morrisons worker jailed for possessing cocaine at work

A former Morrisons supermarket worker has been jailed for four years after a colleague picked up his rucksack by mistake and discovered a stash of cocaine.
Daniel Richardson, 23, jailed for four years for possession of cocaine at Morrisons store in Elland.Daniel Richardson, 23, jailed for four years for possession of cocaine at Morrisons store in Elland.
Daniel Richardson, 23, jailed for four years for possession of cocaine at Morrisons store in Elland.

Daniel Richardson, 23, was working at the Elland branch of the supermarket chain when another member of staff made the chance discovery in March.

Prosecutor Kathryn Walsh told Bradford Crown Court how Richardson, of Rutland Road, Huddersfield, had put the black Adidas rucksack in the staff room at the store.

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But by coincidence another worker had a similar rucksack and when that employee went home he picked up Richardson’s bag by mistake.

Miss Walsh said when the man got home and looked in the rucksack he found a plastic tub containing wraps of white powder.

She said the man alerted the police and when the tub was examined just over 120 deals of cocaine were found.

The stash weighed just under 95 grams and the Class A drugs were worth an estimated £3,780 on the streets.

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Richardson, who was said to be a cannabis user, was arrested when he went to the store to collect his bag after it was returned.

He accepted that the bag and drugs were his and he pleaded guilty to possessing the Class A drugs with intent to supply.

The court heard that Richardson was acting on behalf of others and got involved with cocaine supply after running up a debt for his cannabis.

His barrister Gerald Hendron said Richardson had been dismissed from his employment after the discovery of the drugs.

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“This will be his first custodial sentence,” said Mr Hendron.

“It will obviously be of some length given the guidelines and the offence itself.”

Judge Jonathan Rose told Richardson there was not alternative to a prison sentence and it was an aggravating feature of the case that the quantity of cocaine was quite large.

The judge noted that the bag containing the drugs had been taken home by mistake and if it had simply been left in the house children could have gained access to them.