By Grainne Cuffe

A chef claimed his DNA was on blocks of cannabis found inside a prison because he smokes so much he likes to feel it before he makes a purchase, a court heard.

Sanchez Simmons told the court he smokes so much cannabis that he likes to touch and smell blocks of the drug before he decides to buy.

The 29-year-old, from Milton Keynes, Bucks, is accused of being part of a deal which saw 250g of hash, worth a whopping £6,250 to lags, being found in HMP Maidstone.

Simmons and Jake Charteris were co-accused of cannabis possession with intent to supply.

The jury heard that Charteris, of Howard Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, pleaded guilty on Tuesday.

The chef told Maidstone Crown Court he had never been to the Kent town "in his life" before the trial.

Simmons, who said he supports his drug habit with his job as a chef, said: “I have never been to Maidstone in my life.

“I smoke a lot of cannabis, about £30 a day - it is usual for me to feel the product and to smell it, that is why my DNA was found.”

Simmons is accused of possession with intent to supply after his DNA was found on packages flung over the wall of HMP Maidstone.

A prison officer found two packages containing 250g of cannabis after he spotted a prisoner put one of them down his pants.

Simmons’ DNA was found on the plastic of one of the bags and inside the wrapping covering the cannabis resin.

“We know that there is a degree of relationship between Mr Simmons and Mr Charteris - one is a drug dealer and one is a very good customer.” Matthew Kirk

Prosecutor Robert Brown said: “On August 29, 2017, some time ago, at about 4pm Mr Hogg, a prison officer was on duty at HMP Maidstone.

“There was an alarm that went off and he saw a prisoner pick up a package from the ground in the yard and another was found near that.

“They were examined and the white bag was found to have three blocks of cannabis, weighing 50g and a mobile phone while the blue bag was found to have two blocks of cannabis, each weighing 100g.

“The relevance to this case is that Mr Simmons’ DNA was found on the two blocks of cannabis in the blue bag while DNA from another man was found inside the telephone in the white bag.”

Simmons was arrested on December 12 after the DNA was traced to him and gave a no comment interview.

A statement from the prison officer, Michael Hogg, who found the bags was read out by the prosecutor.

In it he said: “Twenty metres from me I saw a prisoner bend down and pick up a package the rose tree by the wall - I saw him pick up the package and put it down his trousers.

“I told him to hand over the package but he said I didn’t have one and that it was on the ground - that’s when I saw the blue package.”

The court heard that 1g of cannabis fetches £25 in the prison three-and-a-half times the usual street price.

Mr Brown read out a statement from custodial manager Neil Adcock who said: “The current rate within the prison for around 2g of cannabis is £50.”

Charteris, who Simmons said was his “long friend”, was caught on camera driving to Maidstone the day the drugs were found and leaving the same evening.

Giving his closing speech, Matthew Kirk, defending Simmons, said if it was possible that a “very good customer” would touch cannabis before buying it, then the verdict should be not guilty.

"When he buys cannabis he likes to smell it, touch it and feel it..." Matthew Kirk

He told the jury: “In most cases the way that the prosecution goes about building a case to be sure of it is by having different pieces of evidence combined.

“Think of it like a jigsaw or different strands that link together to support each other - in most cases that’s the prosecution’s case.

“You’re not deciding on Mr Charteris as you know he pleaded guilty yesterday, but from him you have forensic evidence on both of the bags that came over the wall.

“We know that Mr Charteris’ fingerprints and DNA were on both the bags and inside both bags.

“Charteris also drove down to Maidstone on the same day as the cannabis was found.

"The coincidence of there being forensic evidence on the bags and coming to Maidstone on the same day in his car is too much to ignore.

“The reason I bring this up is because the Crown’s case against Mr Simmons is that he handled the cannabis but this is only one source of evidence.

“We know that the standard that we have to be sure of is absolute and is fundamental to how we work in this country - it’s fundamental to the constitution of this country.

“We know that there is a degree of relationship between Mr Simmons and Mr Charteris - one is a drug dealer and one is a very good customer.”

Mr Kirk said the “single piece” of evidence was Simmons’ DNA.

He said: “When he buys cannabis he likes to smell it, touch it and feel it.

"In short if you accept this is possible, that a cannabis customer may touch his purchase, then your verdict is not guilty.”

The jury were discharged for the day to start their deliberations tomorrow.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.