A DEALER who sold hard drugs on the streets of Nelson has been jailed for five years.

Afzal Asif, 22, was caught out after supplying in view of plain clothes police.

He was bailed and weeks later was spotted again in Chapel Street, throwing away a chocolate egg full of heroin and cocaine, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Asif, of West Street, Nelson, admitted two charges of possessing heroin with intent to supply, two allegations of possessing cocaine with intent and one count of supplying heroin.

Today, police welcomed the sentence and said it was a warning to anyone considering drug dealing on the town's streets.

Two men who pointed a buyer in the direction of Asif, Israr Alam, 26, of Vaughan Street and Amjad Khizar, also 26, of Como Drive, Bradford, both pleaded guilty to being concerned in supplying heroin.

Alam was given 120 hours community puni-shment and a 12 months community rehabili-tation order.

Khizar received two years community rehabi-litation.

They claimed they had been approached out of the blue by somebody wanting to buy drugs.

The defendants said they directed him to Asif, who they knew had heroin but they had nothing to do with the deal.

David Pickup, prose-cuting, told the court plain clothes police were on duty in Rigby Street. It was entirely coinci-dental they were there.

A man named Jonathan Brogan approached a car with Alam and Khizar in it and they got out.

Khizar pointed out Asif. Mr Brogan and another man waited for Asif at a phone kiosk in Every Street.

Mr Brogan and Asif were then seen in the back of West Street and Asif handed him a wrap of heroin after Mr Brogan appeared to hand over money.

Officers moved in, Asif threw what turned out to be cocaine and heroin on the ground and Mr Brogan put something into his mouth. Asif then ran off but was detained. He and his co-defendants were arrested.

The prosecutor said on February 21, police saw Asif loitering in the Chapel Street area of Nelson.

Two plain clothes officers approached him and identified themsel-ves. He ran off discarding a chocolate egg which was found to contain 398 milligrammes of cocaine and 1.28 grammes of heroin.

Mr Pickup told the court Asif had a record of 16 convictions, but nothing for drugs and had never been to prison before. Alam had no previous convictions.

Khizar had 27 previous convictions between 1997 and 2003 and had been to custody for being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and cannabis.