A high-flying woman who lived a life of luxury has been ordered to pay back £96,000 after she was accidentally caught running a drug dealing operation. Danielle Stafford, 31, formerly of Hallgate, Cottingham, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in April 2023.
She pleaded guilty to three charges of being involved in the supply of heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis, as well as possessing cash as criminal property, between October 2017 and May 2020. Hull Crown Court heard how the former University of Hull graduate and engineer had splurged on nine designer watches and three pricey Louis Vuitton handbags.
The case re-emerged as the court decided how much money Stafford made from her illicit activities. Prosecutor Nadim Bashir stated that a criminal benefit figure of £96,263 had been agreed upon. According to Hull Live, Stafford has been instructed to repay the amount within three months or face an additional year in prison, to be served consecutively. She attended the hearing via video link from jail.
In the initial trial, Mr Bashir explained that police noticed a silver Audi speeding along Priory Road towards Hull city centre at 7:30pm on May 12, 2020. The car quickly turned onto Hotham Road South, cutting off a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, reports the Mirror.
“It was then driven at speed along Hotham Road South,” Mr Bashir added. The car was eventually stopped in The Odd Bottle car park on Wold Road, where officers could smell cannabis emanating from inside the vehicle.
Stafford “immediately lied”, telling police: “Ill be honest, I’ve got this” and proceeded to hand over a small silver wrap containing two buds of cannabis skunk. The police discovered more cannabis on her person, including a food bag filled with cannabis skunk and another food bag from her pocket also containing cannabis skunk.
“From the moment of seizure of the drugs to the arrival in the police station custody suite, the mobile iPhone was constantly ringing and receiving messages from different people,” stated Mr Bashir. “Some 30 phone calls were received and 10 to 20 text messages.”
En route to the police station, Stafford was observed “fidgeting” with her jogging bottoms and was questioned if she had additional drugs concealed. She responded: “Yes, but it’s not mine and I don’t know what it is. I shoved it down my joggers when you pulled me.” Stafford then produced a bag containing a large quantity of small bags of cocaine. The police reported there were 56 wraps, valued at £2,800.
Upon searching her property in Cottingham, the police found cocaine worth £13,500 and an estimated £4,100 of heroin in a jar. Stafford denied any knowledge of these items. An estimated £2,500 of herbal cannabis was discovered in an empty banana box and bank notes totalling £670 as well as £2,350 and £1,480 in cash. Additional cash, valued at £7,580 was found in a safe, but she denied it belonged to her.
Mr Bashir commented that Stafford was an “enthusiastic” cannabis dealer who later dealt cocaine, leading to a sizeable fortune including an investment property and rental house. He disclosed: “The natural result of this was that she was able to accumulate a substantial amount of wealth, including purchasing an investment property, a house to rent. Cash found in her home address amounted to £26,917.
“The contents of her home address in Hallgate, Cottingham, is strong evidence of the nature of her drugs business. The amount, type and value of drugs found at her home were substantial. The drugs alone were street valued at £33,600. This is sustained drug dealing.”