Drug Dealer Busted After Shining Laser At Otherwise Unrelated Police Helicopter
A drug dealer in Swansea, United Kingdom, was busted this week after drawing unnecessary attention to himself and his operation.
In November of 2021, police were looking for a missing vulnerable person when suddenly, someone on the ground began shining a laser pointer in the direction of a helicopter being used in the operation.
Police say this endangered the lives of the crew and the public. Lasers can blind the pilots, disorienting them, which could lead to injury or death in the form of a crash.
The pilot was able to identify which house the laser came from, and officers went to talk with the owner, Narcis Pascu. He told officers he had just bought the laser pointer and didn't know it was wrong to shine it at aircraft.
"The captain said without warning a green-colored beam came into the cockpit and he was aware of the potential to dazzle and distract and this was particularly dangerous as a pilot of an aircraft over a residential area. It hindered the search and officers had concerns for themselves and other users," Prosecutor Dyfed Thomas said. "They were able to identify the premises and asked officers to attend. Officers did attend and the defendant admitted point a laser and said he had just purchased it and was testing it and did not know it was an offense to point it at an aircraft and did not think the laser would reach the aircraft."
It's not clear if they saw something or smelled something, but after a few weeks, police showed up at his front door, this time with a search warrant. Immediately, they discovered cannabis, cocaine, and MDMA.
Along with the number of drugs that were discovered, police also found some scales and two gas-air pistols. Pascu turned over a cell phone that was full of photos of drugs for sale, advertising drugs for sale, and messages relating to the supply of drugs.
Pascu's lawyer, Dan Griffiths, told the court that he hadn't had any previous criminal conviction.
"The defendant was extremely stupid and reckless in the extreme. When spoken to under caution he made full and frank admissions and expressed the appropriate level of remorse," he said. "His cocaine use was primarily on the weekends and on occasions had tried to recoup money by the supply of quantities of drugs to his friends. He had sold MDMA on behalf of an associate. His supply of Class A drugs was very limited."
Pascu admitted to having the drugs and shining the laser beam at an aircraft. He was sent on a young offenders institution for 25 months.
25 True Crime Locations: What Do They Look Like Today?
More From 97X
