Hartlepool dealer caught with £4,000 of drugs after being found with stolen Toyota Hilux

Dwayne Bates, 29, from Hartlepool, who also had cannabis and Buprenol tablets, said he was selling drugs to support his own addiction.

He was arrested on bail after he was found with a stolen Toyota Hilux that was taken in an overnight burglary at a Hartlepool house, Teesside Crown Court was told.

The drugs which were found in a rucksack were worth about £4,000, said prosecutor Philip Morley.

Evidence of Bates’s dealing was found on his mobile phone. Mr Morley said that the Crown believed he had a significant role in street dealing.

Ian Mullarkey, defending, said that Bates had worked in prison with the Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Team and he had taken training courses to equip himself for a job when he was released.

Mr Mullarkey told the judge: “He recognises that all his offending has been due to his drugs problem and he does not wish to remain a frequent offender at court.”

”He has a trusted job in prison, and he hopes on release to settle down and start a family with his long-term partner. He has been offered a job as a plasterer.

”I would ask Your Honour to impose a sentence which reflects the good progress that he has made. Happily now he realises the folly of his ways and must take positive steps.”

Bates, of Crimdon Dene Caravan Park, was jailed for four years after he pleaded guilty to theft, handling stolen goods and possession of drugs with intent to supply them in April and May.

Judge Peter Armstrong said that he had reduced the sentence “because of the efforts you have made while on remand”.