A WREXHAM man has been jailed for 32 months after he was found with almost £600 worth of heroin and crack cocaine.

Appearing in Mold Crown Court for sentencing after he admitted two charges of intent to supply and one of possession of a bladed article at an earlier hearing, Marcus Read, 19, was told by Judge Niclas Parry that he was a “vital cog” in the town’s drug dealing business.

The court heard yesterday that on November 19 officers had spotted Read, of Jarman Avenue, Hightown, riding his bike in Wrexham before he rode off down an alleyway and they began a pursuit.

When he was stopped he dropped something which turned out to be a folding lock knife with a serrated blade.

He admitted to officers that he was carrying “white and brown” and when searched they found 5.3 grammes of heroin at 47 per cent purity and more than 2.4 grammes of crack cocaine at 80 per cent purity.

The drugs were packaged in £10 deals and Read had 26 packages hidden in his trousers as well as £235 in cash in a shoulder bag.

A search of Read’s property revealed clear plastic bags and scales consistent with street dealing with Kim Halsall, prosecuting, describing him as “a go-between between a dealer and a purchaser.”

Henry Hills, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and accepted full responsibility for his actions which were linked to his use of drugs. “He effectively acted as a runner for organised drug dealers and he feels a sense of relief he has been caught.”

Sentencing Read, Judge Parry said: “You were only a cog but a vital cog in the supply of Class A drugs in Wrexham.

“The people who pay are the public of Wrexham in one of the parts of Wales which is most affected by class A drugs.

“What was found at your home only underlines the fact that you were significantly involved.

“This is a sad case – you are a young man who has not been in trouble before and you have involved yourself in a sinister world.”

Judge Parry handed Read two prison terms of 32 months to run concurrently and also made an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs, a mobile phone, the bags and scales.