A date has been set for a hearing to determine whether Britain's leading drill star was supplying cannabis on a “commercial scale”.
Digga D, whose real name is Reece Herbert, pleaded guilty to drug charges following a police raid on a property near Lincoln during an Instagram Live broadcast in the early hours of February 21st.
The 24-year-old admitted the social supply of cannabis, but prosecutors allege there was a commercial transaction.
A trial in the matter, known as the Newton Hearing, will take place before a judge at Lincoln Crown Court on December 23.
Herbert, of Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill, pleaded guilty in May to a charge of cannabis smuggling relating to July 11, 2023. He also admitted supplying cannabis between October 26, 2022 and February 21, 2024.
But prosecutors did not accept the basis of his plea, with lawyer Lauren Sales saying it was the Crown's case that the artist was “supplying cannabis on a commercial scale”.
In response, Mr Hebert's lawyer James Scobie KC said Mr Hebert was only involved in the community supply of cannabis and that any suggestion of a commercial transaction was “bluff”.
“There was absolutely no evidence of any widespread criminal activity committed by Mr. Herbert,” Scobee said.
In July, Lincoln Crown Court was told that Herbert had imported approximately 3kg (6.6lb) of cannabis.
On Thursday, Ms Herbert, who is being held at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, refused to attend a pre-trial hearing and was represented by Mr Scobie.
A date was set for the judge to determine which party was telling the truth and use that information to determine sentencing.
A Newton hearing is a legal procedure under English law that occurs when a defendant admits to a crime but the facts between the prosecution and the defendant are inconsistent.
Digga D is one of the UK's leading drill performers and his tracks have been played millions of times online.
Drill originated in Chicago in the early 2010s, but British artists have adopted the genre in recent years.
