Drug dealer jailed

8:08am Tuesday 9th September 2008

A drug dealer who had thousands of pounds worth of cocaine and cannabis has been jailed for two years.

Kalvir Singh was found to have almost 100 grams of the class A drug and about twice as much cannabis after he was arrested in a Chippenham car park.

And police who searched the 28-year-old former postman's house soon after also discovered he had about £10,000 in cash.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon crown court how police arrested Singh in a car park shortly before 3pm on Friday April 18.

When he was searched he was found to have two bags of cannabis resin and one of cocaine.

At his home police recovered more drugs and paraphernalia as well the large quantity of money.

In total they found almost 100 grams of cocaine with a wholesale value of £3,900 and about 200 grams of cannabis resin worth hundreds.

Mr Meeke said the defendant had pleaded guilty on the basis that he only sold the cannabis to fund his cocaine habit.

And he said he would allow some friends some of the cocaine but most of the drug found was for him as he was using about a gram a day.

Singh, of Wood Lane, Chippenham, pleaded guilty to possession of class A and class C drugs with intent to supply.

The court heard he was sentenced to a one year jail sentence in 2005 for actual bodily harm.

David Miller, defending, said his client had left school with a number of GCSEs and started on A levels but left to work in the family business.

After leaving that he worked as a postman but lost his job when he was jailed for the assault.

He then worked for a double glazing firm on a commission only basis lost that job and struggled to fund his recreational drug use.

Singh then started selling cannabis to get money so he could buy cocaine, he told the court.

Since his arrest in April he said his client had got off cocaine and not taken any illegal drugs for two months.

He urged the court to impose a suspended sentence saying his client was only selling drugs to fund his own habit.

Jailing him Judge John McNaught said "The courts do take a very stern view of those who supply particularly class A drugs because if you spend your days in the crown court as I do you will see a trail of people whose lives have been wrecked by taking drugs.

"The court has to be stern with those who are caught supplying drugs to try and stop the trade, deter the trade and cut down on the misery and bad consequences that come from it."