A DEALER was caught with seven different drugs at Boomtown festival worth more than £3,000, a court heard.

Hushan Ali-Raj, 31, was spotted by security staff in a closed off area reserved for crew during the event on the Matterley Estate, near Alresford, on August 12 last year.

Staff searched his “man bag” and found a variety of drugs including 43.56 grams of ketamine, 21 squares of LSD and four grams of MDMA. He also had diazepam, alprazolam, cannabis and another unnamed class A drug.

He was “initially obstructive” and when arrested he gave a no comment interview and refused to provide the pin number for his phone.

On Friday Winchester Crown Court heard that the drugs were worth £3,650 and Ali-Raj had £540 in cash on him.

Ali-Raj, of Eleanor Close, Tottenham, London, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A, B and C drugs during an earlier hearing at the same court.

In mitigation, James Partridge said his client’s life changed at the age of 15 when his father died.

“This seems very much to have been the catalyst for his offending that has taken place afterwards and his drug use that followed.

“He told me he started at 16 17 smoking crack and heroine,” which was said to be partly responsible for his anti-social criminal behaviour.

Mr Partridge continued: “At the age of 22 he had fallen out with his peer group and moved away. He was then rough on the streets.

“In that position on the streets, no income, he told me he was offered an opportunity to make some money.”

In 2013 Ali-Raj was jailed for 32 months possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

Mr Partridge told the court that the dealer’s ‘frail’ mother will be impacted by any prison sentence he receives.

“He cares for her, he goes out and does her shopping, he does what he can to make her life easier. She relies on him.”

Judge Susan Evans QC said she understood that Ali-Raj’s mother is vulnerable to Covid-19 and considered the current conditions in prison due to the virus.

Jailing Ali-Raj for 45 months, she said: “Once the drugs were inside a festival the price is about double the street value.

“You took them [the drugs] into the festival, got them through security knowing you would get a better price inside the festival.”