Wolverhampton dealer who hid £1,000 worth of heroin and crack in his backside is jailed

Lewis Osborne, of Audlem Walk, Heath Town, managed to swiftly hide the 81 wraps on his person when police stopped him in a car in Belton Avenue, Wednesfield.

The Vauxhall Zafira had been spotted acting suspiciously near an industrial estate just half an hour earlier, attracting attention from officers.

Police say they knew Osborne was in the car because he had text them details of the vehicle that same morning, as part of his licence conditions for a separate matter.

When the car was pulled over on June 5, officers discovered a small amount of cannabis in a shoulder bag on the passenger seat.

Osborne was arrested immediately and, after he had been spotted by police awkwardly fidgeting in the moments before the Zafira was stopped, a strip search at the station revealed a mysterious package hidden up his rectum.

The 21-year-old was then taken to hospital where the haul of Class A drugs were recovered.

Police were already looking into Osborne before his arrest, after he was stopped by offender managers a month earlier, who'd caught him discarding 'bash' – an adulterant used by dealers to cut heroin in order to maximise profits.

That encounter led officers several addresses connected to him in Wednesfield, including one where they found even more of the mixing agent, along with a set of digital scales.

West Midlands Police Drugs Expert Witness Detective Constable Vince Jones examined the substance and estimated it to have a street value of around £10,000 when sold as heroin.

This evidence – along with phone records which showed the exchange of thousands of calls and text messages – was used by the prosecution as part of the case. Prosceutors argued it showed Osborne's significant involvement in the supply of drugs in the Wednesfield area of Wolverhampton.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday, he was jailed for three years and six months after admitting possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Offender Manager, PC James Lawless, said: "Osborne had the audacity, whilst on licence for a separate criminal offence and knowing police were keeping a close eye on him, to peddle Class A drugs on the streets of Wolverhampton.

"This attempt to breach his licence conditions and blatantly flout the law has backfired spectacularly and he's now back in prison serving another lengthy stretch. I hope this sends out a clear message to other dealers in the city that we're constantly on to them.

"The other warning here is that it doesn't matter how clever these drug dealers think they are in hiding their stash of illegal substances, we will always find them – with medical assistance if necessary.

"Finally I want the community to know how seriously we take the distribution of illegal drugs – they ruin lives and shatter communities – and there's no place for them in Wolverhampton. If anyone has any information about drug dealing I would urge them to call police or Crimestoppers so we can take action."