A MORTGAGE broker who allowed a schoolfriend to store cocaine at his house thought he was there to look after his pet dogs, a court heard.

Lee Hawkins, 30, let Hans Kvadsheim use his address in Clacton for drug dealing from April 2022 to January 2024 before police officers carried out a raid in January.

Inside the address in Legerton Drive, officers found a 1kg block of cocaine and 185g of MDMA, as well as storage bags believed to be used to keep the drugs.

Drugs – Cocaine and MDMA were kept at Lee Hawkins' address in Legerton Drive in ClactonDrugs – Cocaine and MDMA were kept at Lee Hawkins' address in Legerton Drive in Clacton (Image: Zoran Orcik)

Messages found on Hawkins’ phone found he had sent messages saying, “there is so much gear everywhere”, and asked Kvadsheim to tidy the house before his dad came round.

Benjamin Burge, prosecuting, said: “Despite being aware, Hawkins allowed the address to be used by Kvadsheim up until the police’s execution of warrants on January 12 this year.

“But for that police disruption, the address would continue to have been used for supply of cocaine.”

Hawkins admitted one charge of permitting the premises to be used for drugs offences.

Nicholas Wayne, mitigating, said Hawkins and Kvadsheim had been friends from school, adding the defendant trusted Kvadsheim to look after his dogs for him because he wasn’t allowed to take them to his girlfriend's.

He said: “Of course, Hawkins knew that Kvadsheim was a drug dealer and I say that because Hawkins was supplied drugs on occasion by Kvadsheim.

"What Hawkins did not appreciate was the scale of what was going on.

“He was, to all intents and purposes, living and sleeping at his girlfriend's home. His girlfriend objected to him having his dogs at her premises and there was an incident that took place as to why his girlfriend took that approach.

Raid – police executed a search warrant on Lee Hawkins' address in JanuaryRaid – Police executed a search warrant on Lee Hawkins' address in January (Image: Google Street View)

“The dogs needed to be looked after. It was a convenient arrangement for Hawkins to allow his trusted friend access to the premises so that Kvadsheim could provide care and attention to the dogs, leaving Hawkins free from worrying about them.”

Judge Richard Wilkin sentenced Hawkins to an 18-month prison term suspended for two years, 200 hours of unpaid work, and £1,000 in prosecution costs.

Kvadsheim is due to be sentenced later this year.