Dealer tried to flush drugs down toilet when police raided Hartlepool den

Police caught a female drug dealer red-handed when they raided a Hartlepool drugs den.
By Mark Payne
Published 27th Nov 2020, 16:31 BST
Updated 27th Nov 2020, 16:36 BST
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Officers burst into the house in Charterhouse Street and arrested 40-year-old Laura Tunnicliffe trying to flush drugs down the toilet.

Police found cocaine, heroin and pills hidden on her body along with mobile phones that proved she was supplying drugs to users from the address.

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She narrowly avoided being sent to prison after Teesside Crown Court was told she was under pressure from people higher up the chain and had taken steps to address her own drug habit.

The house in Charterhouse Street where Laura Tunnicliffe was dealing drugs from was later shut down after the police and council were granted a closure order. Picture: Tom Banks.The house in Charterhouse Street where Laura Tunnicliffe was dealing drugs from was later shut down after the police and council were granted a closure order. Picture: Tom Banks.
The house in Charterhouse Street where Laura Tunnicliffe was dealing drugs from was later shut down after the police and council were granted a closure order. Picture: Tom Banks.

Police carried out the warrant on May 15 of last year. Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was located in the bathroom where she appeared to be attempting to dispose of items down the lavatory.

"Eight priced up grip seal bags containing different quantities of cocaine were seized from her.”

More of the class A drug was found in her knickers and three packages of £30 of heroin were hidden in her bra.

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A plastic container hidden internally was found to contain heroin and class B and C pills.

The cocaine was valued at around £380.

Miss Lamballe added: “On the mobile phones a number of messages relating to the supply or drugs were recovered.”

She said the messages pointed to Tunnicliffe, now of Mapleton Road, responding to requests for drugs.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and possessing class A, B and C drugs.

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Paul Cleasby, defending, said in mitigation her vulnerability had been taken advantage of because she had nowhere else to live.

He said: “Essentially she is the low hanging fruit of this operation and provides a front for those more sophisticated behind the operation to hide."

Mr Cleasby said she was a ‘worthy case’ for rehabilitation in the community.

Judge Stephen Ashurst said he was prepared to suspend the sentence as there appeared to be an optimistic chance of Tunnicliffe beating her addiction and staying out of trouble.

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She was given two years prison suspended for two years plus a nine-month drug rehabilitation programme.

Judge Ashurst said: “If I have been too optimistic and you let the court down then the court will have the opportunity over the next two years of correcting that and sending you inside.”

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