A jailed drugs dealer facing the onslaught of full

A jailed drugs dealer facing the onslaught of full-blown AIDS was said to have pocketed nearly pnds stlng 31,000 selling illicit substances.

Earlier this year Jose Tristan-Garcia escaped with a ‘merciful’ two year prison sentence because of his health problems.

But an inquiry into his assets revealed secret bank accounts and sudden loans to friends totalling pnds stlng 30,607.

At London’s Southwark Crown Court, Judge Mota Singh, QC, confiscated a remaining pnds stlng 13,232 – giving the defendant six months to pay or face another year behind bars.

Snared in possession of a menu of banned substances, Tristan-Garcia claimed the haul was for his personal use, despite being in lethal quantities.

A nightclub’s own drugs police caught a dealer pushing an array of banned substances in a top London venue.

The suspect was immediately searched and found to have drugs concealed on him – measured out in conveniently sized plastic bags.

The secret cache uncovered at the Fabric Nightclub included ecstasy, LSD, and cocaine – all Class A drugs – as well as the tranquilliser ketamine and caffeine.

Jailing the Spaniard, the judge said only a custodial sentence was justified for the blatant offence but added that in the circumstances, justice would be ‘merciful’.

Charles Ward-Jackson said the defendant was spotted conducting a ‘deal’ with two men by security manager Anthony Farrell, who had a special responsibility to counter any signs of drugs at the Fabric Nightclub, in the City of London.

‘As you know there is a problem in nightclubs with people pushing drugs and people being provided with drugs by dealers,’ he told the court.

‘The Crown’s case in a nutshell, is this defendant was a dealer who had gone to the club specifically to sell drugs.

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The barrister said it maybe there would be no dispute Tristan-Garcia was found in possession of the drugs, the issue was whether he intended their supply.

But he said the ‘quantity and variety’ pointed to the defendant being a dealer, backed with the large amount of cash he had on him, the drugs being bagged in small quantities, and what the club staff witnessed.

He said a further large quantity of ecstasy was found at the defendant’s home, a long with scales and a number of self-sealing plastic bags.

‘No-one goes to a nightclub with all these drugs found on them to take themselves.

‘It is probably a quantity that could kill you,’ observed Mr Ward-Jackson.

Tristan-Garcia, of Tavistock Crescent, Notting Hill, West London, was convicted six charges of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply on December 20, 1999.

Further he was found guilty of possessing 1.

5g of cannabis resin with intent, later found at his home.

Found on the defendant at the club were: pnds stlng 265; 39 tablets of MDMA – commonly known as ecstasy; 65 squares of paper impregnated with LSD; 2.

25g of MDMA powder in seven small plastic bags; and 18 bags containing 7g of cocaine.

In addition was found five similar small bags containing caffeine and ten bags of white powder later discovered to be ketamine.

And when police raided the defendant’s flat, they also discovered a further 138 tablets of ecstasy.

Mr Ward-Jackson said Mr Farrell watched the Spanish defendant pass something in a clenched fist to another man, being offered a banknote in exchange.

‘That made Mr Farrell suspicious that a drug deal was taking place and he and colleagues took the defendant aside to search him.

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