A former footballer was caught dealing cocaine at university when a maintenance man stumbled upon his stash.

Charlin Deugoue – who had trials for Premier League sides Leicester City and Stoke City – was found to be hiding the haul at his halls of residence at Liverpool John Moores University.

The 20-year-old, who moved to England from Cameroon at the age of nine, was secretly selling cocaine and ketamine to his fellow students.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how the sports degree student’s drugs dropped out of a cooker hood as a handyman examined his accommodation in Skelhorne Street in the city on March 4 last year.

Charles Lander, defending, said his client had shown great ambition after moving to the UK and worked hard at Myerscough College to earn himself a place at Liverpool John Moores.

However, he said Deugoue’s use and dealing of cocaine led to him being suspended by the university, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Mr Lander added: “The defendant was a footballer of some talent."

“He had trials at a number of clubs including ironically, for who knows where he would be if he had stayed there, Leicester City, and Stoke, Huddersfield and Rochdale.”

“But education was the way he wanted to go and there he was at university, with everything ahead of him.

“He knows through his own stupidity he has thrown that all away.”

Mr Lander urged the judge to impose a suspended sentence, so Deugoue – who stood sobbing in the dock – could finish his studies.

However, Recorder Pratt said cocaine ruined people’s lives and handed him two years and four months behind bars.

Deugoue, now of Toxteth, Liverpool, admitted possession with intent to supply Class A and Class C drugs.

Prosecutor Peter Hussey said the matter came to light in somewhat unusual circumstances.

“Unluckily for the defendant, some maintenance work was commenced by an engineer in the student premises that he shared with other students at these halls.

“The engineer was setting about removing a cooker hood and as he did so, two plastic bags fell from the ducting above the hood.

“One contained eight rolled-up £20 notes, £160 altogether, and the other contained a number of wraps of white powder.”

The engineer reported the find to the student accommodation office.

Staff asked the defendant whether the drugs were his, to which he replied “yes, but I’m not selling any”.

Mr Hussey said there were six packages of cocaine, weighing 1.64g with a street value of up to £80, plus one large 9.16g package and 10 smaller packages of ketamine, weighing 4.18g, worth up to £400.

Deugoue told police his mobile phone might contain text messages related to drug dealing, as an examination proved.

Recorder Richard Pratt, QC, said: “It is extremely disappointing to see someone like you in the dock.

“All I’ve read suggests you’re a man with considerable qualities, having demonstrated a determination to pursue your education

“Instead of fulfilling these ambitions, regrettably first of all you started to use drugs and then, much worse than that, you started to supply them to fellow students.”