ruth901
A 40-year-old small-time dealer from Fulda has to go to prison for four years and seven months. During the trial there was criticism of the pace of the prosecution.
Fulda – A drug-addicted small-time dealer has been sentenced to four years and seven months in prison before the Grand Criminal Chamber of the Regional Court, which will be followed by two years of deprivation in a closed facility. Presiding judge Bettina Stade only fell slightly short of the public prosecutor's demands.
The Fulda native, who had a relevant criminal record, also had one Scales and plastic bags for packaging the drugs as well as weapons that were used for his defense were found.
Weapons and drugs: Long prison sentence for 40-year-old from Fulda
Public defender Hagen Schwindt's (Bonn) strategy of portraying the 40-year-old as someone who merely kept drugs for other dealers did not work. The police did not find any wealth in his apartment that would indicate his own business. Witness statements also provided no evidence. He therefore only saw his client as guilty of aiding and abetting drug trafficking. He also made a partial confession. He asked for a significantly lower sentence.
The convicted man ran into the police twice. He was once arrested outright in 2023 while carrying a box of cannabis from a taxi to his apartment. The rooms were then searched. Two years later, the police were at his door again when they suspected that an acquaintance had fled to his apartment after an argument. Again, drugs were found in quantities far larger than permitted (including amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin) as well as a crossbow, machetes, axes, crowbars and animal repellent spray. The loaded crossbow and one of the machetes were stored within easy reach. This time he was taken into custody. Because of his addiction, he was given methadone substitution.
Certainly, it became clear, some of the drugs stored in the apartment were for personal use, and the public prosecutor did not consider him to be a major dealer. On the other hand, the permitted quantities were sometimes far exceeded. Although his addiction had made regular work impossible, he was fully responsible. That's how the court saw it too.
“It has to be done faster”: Judge reprimands public prosecutor
According to Stade, the fact that the first case at issue in the trial was three years ago was because the law enforcement authorities first wanted to take action against his – now convicted – business partners and backers. In this context, however, she blamed the public prosecutor's office: the indictment was only considered reasonable five months later and then, for reasons that are no longer understandable, it was received again three months later. “This has to happen faster,” she demanded and gave the Fulda man a month’s imprisonment as compensation.
According to the judge, the convict had already gone through drug withdrawal a good ten years ago and was abstinent for a year afterwards. Sometimes you need a second attempt at success; she wished that for him. In his last word he had said: “I messed up.” However, he denied dealing cocaine and having crossbows and machetes as weapons. (By Andreas Alt)
