Man jailed over £200,000 heroin find in Middlesbrough
A man has been jailed for more than six years after £200,000 worth of heroin was found in his Middlesbrough bedsit.
Abdul Imrad claimed he was pressured into minding the drugs because he owed money from trips to family funerals and to visit his sick wife in Pakistan.
The 37-year-old Dutch national from Wellesley Road pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply.
Judge Peter Bowers at Teesside Crown Court said Imrad had allowed a "Mr Big" to escape justice by lying to police.
He added: "There are lots of people who owe money these days and that is not a good excuse for looking after drugs."
Imrad was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.