A 20-YEAR-OLD man who became involved with selling drugs in order to feed his own habit has been jailed.

Aqib Baig, of York Street, Church, pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing heroin and cocaine with the intent to supply, after he was caught with a substantial amount of the drugs on two occasions.

At the sentencing in Burnley, prosecutor Stephen Parker said: “On the first occasion, June 11, a vehicle that was under observation of the police, was spotted by an undercover officer who believed the people in the vehicle to be suspected of drug related activity.

“One of the people, who the officer knew to be the defendant, got out of the car, threw a package under a nearby vehicle and made off.

“On inspection, the officer found there to be individual wraps of cocaine, with a street value of £250, and heroin, with a street value of £230 contained within the discarded package.”

The court also heard how three months later, on September 6, a different officer had been on patrol in Henry Street, Accrington, when he spotted a vehicle which had again been under police observation.

Mr Parker said: “The defendant was the driver of this vehicle and upon stopping him officers found there to be a mobile phone containing text messages pertaining to drug dealing activity, £95 in cash, and a tin containing individual bags of heroin and cocaine with a combined street value of £270.”

Mitigating in defence, barrister Shufqat Khan said that his client was a young man who had been involved in drug taking, which had then progressed into selling in order to fund his habit.

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Mr Khan said: “He has no previous convictions and is a man of good character. Prior to the first offence he was keeping company with people who were taking drugs, which included cannabis, but this quickly progressed into class A drugs and from here he got into dealing.

“He lives at home with his family and is aware that this has brought shame and embarrassment upon them and he is mortified. He comes from a law-abiding family who are now having to live with the fact their son is a drug dealer.

“He has made changes, largely due to his father, who hit the roof and who now plays a very close part in his life by keeping an eye on who he mixes with. Any custodial sentence won’t be easy for a young man like him.”

Judge Andrew Jefferies said: “Had you only been caught once then I would have considered lowering the sentence but you weren’t, you were caught twice.”

Baig was sentenced to 28 months.