A DEALER has been jailed after he was caught preparing to sell illegal drugs in the run-up to Christmas. 

Police executed a search warrant at the Whitehaven home of Andrew Cranston, 34. They found labelled bags containing different drugs inside a jacket in a hallway at the property. More than 30g of illegal “plant food”, with a street value of almost £1,000, was recovered by officers. 

Cranston, of Peter Street pleaded guilty to possession of Class A, B and C drugs with intent to supply. These were, respectively, hallucinogenic substance 2,5I NBOMe, methcathinone and temazepam. 

At Carlisle Crown Court, Cranston was jailed for 30 months by Recorder Kevin Grice for crimes carried out over four months. The judge told him: “I am afraid you must now pay the price for this criminality.” 

The court heard the police search warrant was executed at Cranston's home on “black-eye Friday” on December 19 last year. The drugs were located within individual plastic bags inside the jacket, and were found to be marked with different people’s names. 

Tim Evans, prosecuting, said: “The Crown say both the labelling and sub-division in the jacket in the hallway really does put him in a significant role so far as supply is concerned.” 

Kim Whittlestone, defending, said Cranston had been addicted to alcohol and illegal substances from a young age. He had managed to kick the drugs habit for spells, only to “fall off the wagon”. 

Cranston, now the father of a young child, had turned to drug dealing between August and December last year in order to fund his habit. 

“This was not a significant commercial enterprise. He was supplying to others known to him, people who knew him and he was also certainly in a group of people who were regularly using all sorts of illegal substances,” said Miss Whittlestone. 

“He became one of that group involved in the supply of drugs.” 

She added: “He looks back on that four-month period [of drug dealing] and cannot believe he sank as low as he did.” 

Recorder Grice told Cranston his crime had come to light on a significant day. 

“That is the last working day before Christmas, when a number of people are disposed not only to drink but also to use recreational drugs,” he said.