Cocaine Cut: Prison Time Slashed For Drug Dealer

A cocaine dealer has had nearly three years of prison time wiped off his sentence for the time he spent tucked up in bed on home curfew, awaiting his trial.

Yahya Osman, 29, was arrested during a National Crime Agency swoop, which linked him via encrypted mobile phone messages with commercial drug dealing.

He was arrested near London’s Hatton Garden on March 19, 2021 and after three months in custody was granted bail on condition he obey a home curfew.

When that time was added up at Croydon Crown Court last week a total of 916 days will be automatically deducted from the seven years and seven months sentence he received.

Another three months and seven days will also have been deemed served.

Osman, of Bellhouse Lane, Southend-on-Sea fought the charges for years and eventually pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs on the eve of his third scheduled jury trial. 

The court heard no cocaine was seized when Osman was pulled over in his black Audi, but his mobile phone revealed evidence of the purchase of at least two kilos of cocaine, which was broken down and sold on.

The prosecution say he was directly involved with others and linked to the selling-on of a kilo of cocaine.

Officers also seized a Rolex watch, worth over £10,000 from the first-time offender and a £50,000 surety was offered to secure his bail.

For three of his years on bail Osman was not allowed to physically leave his local neighbourhood in Southend-on-Sea and had to obey an evening curfew to remain at home during the hours of darkness.

He was facing up to eleven years imprisonment on current sentencing guidelines, but after the discount will be eligible for parole in approximately two-and-a-half years.

Osman often claimed to be a lawyer, but never qualified and while on bail managed his Iranian father’s restaurant - calming the Rolex was a gift from his dad.

His lawyer Sebastian Gardiner even submitted Osman should receive no prison time whatsoever: “We are in the ballpark of time served for this defendant and ask if it is in the interests of justice to send this person to prison?

“It is more constructive to suspend any term of imprisonment so he does not have to go to prison. He has got a stable life a steady partner and the probation report says he is at low risk of re-offending.

“He has clearly served the equivalent of eight years and there are a whole range of community resolutions and my submission is for a sentence equivalent to time served.

“There was a huge backlog and this case could not be listed,” added Mr Gardiner. “There have been a number of delays and none of them are this defendant’s fault and that has been detrimental to him.”

Recorder Valeria Swift told Osman: “For reasons that were not your fault the first trial was not effective and at the second trial your guilty plea was not accepted by the prosecution and when the third trial was listed your plea was accepted.

“There has been a substantial delay and you have had to wait for over a year since you pleaded guilty to hear your sentence.

“You were at the top of a supply chain with others and you were responsible for directing those below you in the chain, drug dealers.

“You were involved in the supply of one kilo of cocaine and were directing others from your position at the top of the chain.

“You were a man of good character and that is to your credit and you have stayed out of trouble since these offences and I take that in your favour.

“There has been a very substantial period of delay which is significant in this case, back to 2021, a delay in proceedings that were not your fault.

“The delay is a substantial point of mitigation and you were subject to onerous bail conditions, which were a significant incursion on your liberty, when you had to be at home and were subject to a curfew for a substantial period of time.”