A MERSEYSIDE man has been jailed for his part in the ‘dangerous and dirty’ trade of supplying drugs in North Wales.

Karl Johnson, of Saunders Avenue in the Prescot area of Merseyside, was put behind bars for months after a hearing before Mold Crown Court.

The 41-year-old previously admitted before a judge in December to charges of Class A drug possession with intent to supply. He also confessed to having Class B drugs in his possession.

Paulinus Barnes, prosecuting, told the court that at about 9 o’clock on October 21, an ambulance was contacted for Johnson following an incident at the Texaco garage on Sealand Road in Deeside.

That call was made by Nathan Roberts, from Shotton, who back in March 2020 was jailed for 12 years after stabbing Johnson that night over 50 times across his face, neck and chest in a frenzied attack that was believed to be a dispute over drugs that escalated into the assault.

Johnson was treated by paramedics at the scene but had to be taken to Liverpool's Aintree Hospital for further care.

The court heard how police then attended the hospital and Johnson’s mobile phone was seized.

Officers also found a small drawstring bag containing wraps of cocaine worth about £360 in its pure form - but could have been diluted to potentially double or triple its final street value.

The prosecutor says that police were also able to recover herbal cannabis, a plastic container of bicarbonate soda, a set of mini scales and several types of ‘cutting agents’.

There was also a ‘tick list’ found within a notebook in Johnson’s possession.

Forensics were able to uncover a number of text messages on the mobile phone relating to drug deals – specifically requests for cocaine.

In interview, Johnson denied ownership of the mobile phone or the cocaine found in his tracksuit. He did claim that the cannabis was for his own personal use.

The court was told that, to justify the ‘tick list’, Johnson claimed it was a fake document that he had made and used to ‘impress women’.

Julian Nutter, defending, argued that Johnson’s potential stint in prison would have more risks than just the ongoing pandemic.

He said that, having given evidence in trial against Roberts in 2020, he is a ‘known grass’ against someone who is a ‘very dangerous individual’ and that it would be a worry of potential repercussions sending him into an environment where that information is potentially known and frowned upon.

The defence went on to tell the court that Johnson was arguably punished for his involvement in drug dealing in ‘the most brutal way’ when he was stabbed repeatedly by Roberts.

The attack is said to have had a lasting physical and mental impact on him.

Judge Rhys Rowlands did consider a lighter sentence for Johnson but could not ignore the overall seriousness of the crime. He handed him a sentence of 18 months for the supply of cocaine.

When passing sentence, he was clear in his findings that Johnson had a ‘significant’ role in supplying people with cocaine in North Wales and would surely have known the risks that come with this type of behaviour.

He continued: “What is clear is that what happened to you should undoubtedly serve as a warning to others just how dangerous and dirty a trade it [drug dealing] is.”