A MILLIONAIRE rabbi with a taste for cocaine and prostitutes has been cleared of running a drug dealing business.
Baruch Chalomish held his head in his hands as a jury foreman announced in court he was not guilty of supplying drugs.
He had earlier admitted possessing cocaine and will be sentenced on December 17. Rabbi Chalomish is facing a community sentence and will go into rehab.
The 54-year-old father of three, who says he is worth £7m net from his commercial property empire, admitted he had become addicted to cocaine, spending up to £1,000-a-week on the drug.
Extraordinary
He said he sought solace in cocaine and prostitutes following the sudden death of his 'angel', wife Freda, from cancer at the age of 40 in 1996.
At Manchester Crown Court, Judge Michael Henshell thanked the jury and told them: “Ladies and gentlemen, you have listened to an extraordinary case. It's not the usual case of drug dealing or possession of drugs.
"You heard facts which were really outside my experience, dealing with a man who was an eminent member of his community who was in possession of drugs who was on trial facing drugs supply charges. I'm sure you could not fail to be moved by what you heard.”
When police raided a one-bed hotel apartment on Shudehill, Manchester, on January 5, they found Chalomish together with convicted drug dealer Nasir Abbas along with 50g of cocaine dotted around the apartment, digital scales, nearly £3,000 in cash and cutting agent used to dilute the drug before it is sold.
Parties
The flat was used for cocaine parties.
Police also raided the rabbi's home on Upper Park Road, Salford, and found a further 50g of cocaine, more cutting agent and nearly £16,000 in cash.
By the time he was arrested, the rabbi had been on a five-day cocaine binge. He admitted he used prostitutes and was generous with them.
However, although he admitted possessing the drug he denied he was financing a 'commercial cocaine supply operation'.
He said the huge supply of the drug found at his home was for his personal use, claiming he was a natural hoarder who liked to stockpile other goods like tins of food and boxes of tissues as well as cocaine.
Charity
He liked very pure cocaine - 'the good stuff' – and went to Abbas, who could provide 'the best in town'. He told the court he used it to sleep.
The bundles of cash around his home was mostly for charity, he said.
His friends and family told the court the rabbi was a generous giver, handing over £70,000-a-year to his brother-in-law's charity and slipping envelopes stuffed with cash through letterboxes of the needy.
However, he became increasingly isolated from his family and the rest of the Jewish community, claiming he kept them at arm's length because he did not want to be exposed as a cocaine user.
Exposed
But his secret and reputation were exposed when police found him at his latest cocaine party on Shudehill.
Chalomish's fall from his position in society has been spectacular. Born in Israel, he became a rabbi and moved to the UK, briefly leading a congregation in Glasgow where he also lectured on the bible.
His co-accused Abbas, 54, of Manchester Road, Chorlton, was jailed for six years in his absence after the jury found him guilty of supplying the cocaine at the party.
Abbas has already served a ten-year jail sentence for conspiring to supply drugs.
He is being hunted by police.
Whereabouts
Detective Inspector Denise Sweeney of North Manchester's Pro-Active Team said: "Drugs are a major blight on our communities and convictions like today help to show how seriously we take this issue.
"Abbas was tried and sentenced in his absence and we are now trying to trace him so he can serve his time in prison. If anyone knows of his whereabouts please get in touch so we can put him where he belongs.
"I would urge the local community to contact police if they have any information about the trade of illegal drugs in their area so we can stop their sale and use."
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Another step to legalisation!!
How so Of Denton?
Its been proved the amount was for personal use. And he is to be sentenced at a later date.
So please explain.
WHAT?!!!!!!
Anyone else would have been convicted of conspiracy.
Funny how money can change court outcomes in this so-called fair and equal society of ours.
A) He only bought 'the good stuff'
B) He used it to help sleep.
Something isn't right about these two statements.
Now, I'm no pharmacist, but surely the whole point of cocaine is that is makes sleep the last thing your body can do ?
Confused.
Cocaine schmocaine.
Big Rob, Didsbury.
Too right!
Using it to sleep! I've got tears in my eyes!
I thought illegal drugs were against the faith.
But then again we all look at different aspects of each case, if it was for personal use then OK drug dealing is not the case but having that amount of cash at two properties should have had bells ringing for someone.
"When police raided a one-bed hotel apartment on Shudehill, Manchester, on January 5, they found Chalomish together with convicted drug dealer Nasir Abbas along with 50g of cocaine dotted around the apartment, digital scales, nearly £3,000 in cash and cutting agent used to dilute the drug before it is sold."
Now, I'm all for legalisation but the above smacks of dealing! Why do you need scales and cutting agents if it's for personal? And 50g is a tremendous amount for personal.
Something stinks in this verdict.
'The bundles of cash around his home was mostly for charity, he said'.
I wonder if your average dealer would have got off with that excuse?
where the scales used for baking cakes aswell?
He said 'the huge supply of the drug found at his home was for his personal use, claiming he was a natural hoarder who liked to stockpile other goods like tins of food and boxes of tissues as well as cocaine'.
Thing is,tins of food and boxes of tissues wernt illegal last time i checked!
And the best bit of the story,
'He liked very pure cocaine - 'the good stuff' – and went to Abbas, who could provide 'the best in town'. He told the court he used it to sleep.'
What a load of tosh. I may have believed the rest of the tale had it not have been for this one statement.
you know what else stinks about this story
'He said he sought solace in cocaine and prostitutes following the sudden death of his 'angel', wife Freda, from cancer at the age of 40 in 1996.'
So for over 13 years he's been buying huge amounts of cocaine then. Where did he think the money was going when he gave it to the dealer? er, charity?
the judge said ;It's not the usual case of drug dealing or possession of drugs.'
No its not, however, it is soemone who should really know better, someone who is apparantley a role model in their community who has contributed to the cocaine problem in Manchester and then uses his dead wife as an excuse.
umpire 2, Salford M7 4HT
perhaps he kept the cash because he didn't trust the banks
He used cocaine to help him sleep???
He also used steriods to help lose a bit of weight, Cannabis to help him work out and took Acid to help him concentrate when doing his accounts. :-)
Since when was 50g - less than a couple of ounces - a "huge amount"?
Since when was 50g - less than a couple of ounces - a "huge amount"?
AlanF,
Good coke costs £50 a gram on the street. 50 x 50 = £2500, that in anyones book is a large amount of charlie.
Add to that the high purity metioned in a previous story on this case, the cutting agents too, so he might have got 100 or 150 grams out of this in reality. Street coke is reported to be between 2% and 30% purity on average, I think it said his stuff was 80%
AlanF,
25/11/2009 at 16:26
28.3495. grams in an ounce.
Esso I think Alan KNOWS how many grammes to the ounce ;.)
Andanotherthing, Mcr
25/11/2009 at 17:17
Now I am confused. Anyway, where have you been hiding.
The judge's summing up seems to have had a big influence in the outcome of this case. "You heard facts which were really outside my experience, dealing with a man who was an eminent member of his community.... I'm sure you could not fail to be moved by what you heard.”
Strange that when someone like a teacher is on trial, their position in the community adds to the seriousness of their offence, rather than helps to get them acquitted.
Sounds like the story line of a Mel Brooks film.
what would have happened if it was me,from gorton and skint.
should be locked up with the rest of the drug taking scum that are destroying our society
"should be locked up with the rest of the drug taking scum that are destroying our society" - people taking drugs are not destroying society, the people dealing them are.
enjoyed following this story.far more entertaining than the stuff we get on tv.
When did Bob Hoskins become a rabbi?
It goes to show that having money grants you immunity from the Law. If this was a working class man who was found with the drugs, scales and cash the judge would have immprisoned him. Its despicable.