A PAIR of best friends hatched a plan to sell ecstasy to schoolmates in an effort to make some extra cash, a court heard. 


The pupils, who cannot be named for legal reasons, advertised the pills, which were given the nickname Pingers, over Snapchat – selling them for £10 each. They were said to have been influenced by what they had watched on the TV and films. 


But the plan backfired on the teens, with one blocked by his parents from jetting off on a transatlantic trip and the other given a carpeting by his solicitor.
Prosecuting, Pauline Lambert said the boys wanted to make some extra cash. Given £50 by his friend, one of the boys asked over social media for help finding a drug dealer. 


Over Snapchat, he contacted a dealer named “H Cook”. Meeting the dealer on February 11 in Peatmoor, he handed over £55 and in return was given eight ecstasy pills branded “Uber Eats”. 


The next day, the boys took the drugs into the school and sold them to two other pupils, with one of the buyers popping a pill on school property. 
Police were called the next day by teachers who had uncovered the drug deal plot after they had quizzed pupils about absences the previous day. 
Interviewed by police, both boys admitted the drug deal plot. One of the lads told officers “he wanted to make some money so he could buy things he wanted like shoes and games”, Ms Lambert said. 
The pair had seen films and TV programmes where dealing drugs could be very profitable. 
Emma Thacker, defending the boy who had bought the drugs, said: “It certainly shows some intelligence on their part trying to make some money off their own back. 
“Unfortunately, because they have been influenced by what they’ve seen on TV and films they’ve gone about it the wrong way.” 
However, she questioned the business acumen of the lads, who only stood to gain around £15 each from the sale.
Mark Glendenning, for the other defendant, said his client was guilty of naivety more than any criminal intent. 
Both boys pleaded guilty to supplying ecstasy and were each sentenced to a nine-month youth rehabilitation order and ordered to pay £105 in costs and victim surcharge. 
Gail Chilcott, chairman of the bench, said to one of the lads: “What you watch on television, you have to understand, is not real life.” She told the other she would be “quite within my rights to tear off another strip”, but after hearing the boy had been roundly scolded by his parents and lawyer suggested he might have had enough.
The school said it dealt robustly with any incident involving drugs.
The headteacher said: “We always deal robustly with any incident involving drug use.  
“Such incidents are extremely rare but unfortunately young people sometimes make poor choices.  
“Throughout students’ time at school we endeavour to give them clear anti-drug and healthy lifestyle information and support, working where necessary with our partner agencies.”