Market Rasen drug dealer had 'stand-in' during holiday to Spain
A woman who enjoyed a holiday in Spain while her drug dealing operation continued in Market Rasen has been jailed.
Maxine Kay, 40, was caught after police raided her Mill Road flat in October last year, Lincoln Crown Court heard.
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Inside, officers found amphetamine paste with a street value of £110 in a freezer compartment of Kay's fridge.
Cannabis with a street value of around £430 was also discovered in various locations around the flat, along with a set of digital scales, snap bags and a tick list of customers.
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Andrew Scott, prosecuting, told the court police also found £700 in cash hidden inside a sofa cushion in Kay's living room. Analysis of a mobile phone seized from Kay revealed she was a commercial street level drug dealer with up to 11 customers.
Mr Scott said: "The phone was found to contain numerous incoming and outgoing texts concerning the supply of drugs.
"Somewhat unusually they were both sent and received messages showing a lack of sophistication from Kay."
The phone showed Kay had also arranged for a "stand-in" to supply her customers while she was on holiday in Spain, Mr Scott added.
During her first police interview Kay claimed all the drugs were for her own personal use. When shown her texts during a second interview she claimed somebody else was responsible for the messages.
Kay, of Mill Road, Market Rasen, later pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply others following the search on October 17, 2011.
Jon Straw, mitigating, told the court Kay had suffered at the hands of violent men and endured mental health issues.
"She does deserve credit for realising her fate. Her flat is packed up and her dog has been rehoused," Mr Straw said.
Mr Straw added: "The amount of drugs found in the flat was relatively small."
The court heard Kay received a police caution for possessing drugs in August last year. Passing sentence, Judge Sean Morris told Kay she had wasted the chance given to her on that occasion.
Judge Morris told her: "When the police, acting on intelligence that there was a drug dealer about, raided your flat you had £700 stuffed in to a cushion, £110 worth of amphetamines and £430 of cannabis, and a phone that suggested that you had been dealing for some time, maybe three months.
"Not only that, it showed that you had been flying off to Spain on holiday and while you were away arranged a stand-in."
Kay was jailed for seven months.
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