Six years in jail for car-seat drug dealer

A drug dealer who plied his trade from the passenger seat of a car was today beginning a six-year jail term.

Martin Brown dished out heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Wolverhampton.

He did this while on early release from prison for a similar offence.

He was found with hundreds of pounds worth of drugs and almost £200 in cash when he was caught by police in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told by prosecutor Mr Mark Rees.

He said Brown, of Thompson Avenue, Parkfields, was foiled by plain-clothed police officers who suspected a parked car was being used to deal drugs.

"The officers saw the car parked up on Horden Road at about 10.20pm," said the prosecutor. "They went over to the vehicle and the defendant was in the front passenger seat."

In total, 47 packets containing 1.5g of crack cocaine with a street value of £590 were found, along with 10 packets containing 840mg of heroin worth £10.The officers also discovered £190 in cash on 25-year-old Brown when he was searched by police.

During yesterday's hearing, Mr Rees said Brown was on licence at the time of the offence having been jailed in October 2008 for four years dealing crack cocaine.

He had been arrested in Shaw Road, Blakenhall, in September 2007 for dealing drugs from a car. He was released from his sentence two years into the prison term.

Mr Rees said Brown admitted his latest offences to police when interviewed. He pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply and one count of possession of cannabis at a previous hearing.

Miss Tamia Tagon, for Brown, said he had started smoking cannabis aged eight.

Judge John Warner told him: "You were a street dealer in class A drugs and that position is aggravated by being on licence and because of that previous conviction."