Two school friends were caught sleeping in their car when the police came knocking - before being caught dealing cocaine.
Jonathan Hopkinson and William Thompson, both 28, claimed to officers that they had driven back from Scotland the night before and couldn’t find a place to stay so decided to sleep in a hired grey Mercedes.
Thompson, of Heywood, also stated he was the owner of a Vauxhall Vectra parked nearby, Manchester Crown Court heard.
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However, after officers continued their patrols around Eccles, they saw Hopkinson, of Middleton, nearby speaking to a woman - as well as the Vectra parked on a different street.
Following a search of both cars and the two men, officers found 13.6 grams of cocaine, digital scales, multiple phones and drugs debtors lists as well as a meat cleaver hidden in a carrier bag.
Both Hopkinson and Thompson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and were both jailed.
Prosecuting Simon Blakeborough told the court that on October 25 2019 at around 11am, officers were on patrol on Barton Lane when they spotted the sleeping men, Hopkinson in the driver seat and Thompson in the passenger seat.
“They were spoken to and said they had nowhere to stay for the night and decided to sleep in the car,” the prosecutor said.
“Hopkinson said he had hired the car three weeks prior to that and said he had done that on a regular basis.
“They said they had been in Scotland to collect money.
“Thompson said he owned a vehicle namely a Vauxhall Vectra and said he was in possession of £800 cash as a result of working in Scotland.”
Three mobile phones were recovered from the front passenger door and a cannabis blunt was also discovered, which Thompson accepted was his, and so was given a caution.
The men were let go, but a short time later were spotted on Florence Street, Hopkinson was speaking to a woman outside a house and Thompson was sitting in the Mercedes.
Fifty to seventy yards away was the Vectra, the court heard.
The keys were seized from both cars and officers found 13.6 grams of the class A drug in a package, said to be 41% purity with a street value of between £560 and £1260.
In the Vectra in an Asda carrier bag, officers found a meat cleaver.
Also recovered was digital scales with residues of cocaine and cannabis as well as a debtors list.
“A search was carried out at the house on Florence Street and in the upstairs bedroom was a set of scales with residues of cocaine and cannabis and a further debtors list,” Mr Blakeborough added.
The mobile phones were recovered and examined and included messages of the supply of cocaine requested by buyers for ‘white and sniff’.
In a police interview, Hopkinson said he was out of work and in financial hardship when Thompson asked him to drive him to Scotland for £200.
He later admitted to dealing cocaine in ‘little bits’.
Thompson admitted to the officers that two of the three phones found were his, but gave no comment in relation to the drugs found.
Hopkinson was said to have no previous convictions and Thompson had one previous conviction for an unrelated offence.
Mitigating on behalf of Thompson, Mark Friend said: “This may be one of those cases where the defendant, save for that offence, has lived a socially responsible, decent, hard working life.
“He is one of those defendants who can properly be regarded as acting completely out of character.
“He was in a dark place at the time and he made a very poor decision.
“This court can be satisfied that he had properly begun to make changes to his life.”
Mitigating for an emotional Hopkinson, Mark Lea said that both men were born within weeks of each other, were friends through school and up until October 2019, both had good employment.
“They both suffered traumatic losses, he has suffered immense stress, his relationship floundered and he found himself in a considerable drug debt,” he said.
“He presents himself today as a very different man to the man who was arrested in 2019.”
Mr Lea said his client has since rebuilt his relationship and acts as a carer for his grandmother.
Sentencing them, Recorder Imran Shafi QC said: “You brought this on yourselves.
“Drug dealing of class A drugs is a serious offence.
“It has a terrible effect and impact on users and has a dangerous and pernicious effect on society, of which you are aware.
“There has to be an element of deterrent and I would be failing in my public duty if I did not impose an immediate period of imprisonment on you.”
Hopkinson, of Hollin Lane, was jailed for 28 months; and Thompson, of Gregge Street, was jailed for 32 months.
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