A ROOFER has been jailed for supplying cocaine in Worcester as the city's most senior judge urges police to confiscate cars from drug dealers.

Paul Cave admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of heroin and possession of cocaine following the police raid at his then address in Nash's Passage, off New Street, Worcester.

The 48-year-old was jailed when he appeared over link from prison at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday after the search warrant, executed by police on October 10 last year.

The court heard how the roofer picked up the drugs from Birmingham and brought them into the city for himself and his friends.

The defendant’s basis of plea, that the sale of the drugs was not a County Lines operation, was accepted by the court. County Lines operations involve gangs or organised crime networks with dedicated mobile phone 'lines' bringing drugs into smaller towns and cities from larger urban centres such as London, Liverpool and Birmingham.

Dean Easthope, prosecuting, said 20 wraps of drugs were seized and five in foil Rizla papers. Cash and drugs paraphernalia were also seized including scales, cling film and a dealer’s list.

In total police seized £124.75. No valuation was available for the value of drugs or their weight or purity. In police interview Cave denied that the drugs seized were cocaine, claiming they were ‘a legal high’ and told officers they were for his personal use, answering no comment to other questions.

Cave had 23 sets of convictions for 67 offences dating between 1984 and 2013 but nothing on his record for the last seven years. He has previous convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm for which he received nine months in prison in 2013 (his last conviction).

The court also heard that he had convictions for affray, public order offences and drugs offences (but for possession only).

Mr Easthope said the supply offence fell in category three (significant role) with a starting point in the sentencing guidelines of four and a half years and a range available to the sentencing judge of between three and a half and seven years.

Judge James Burbidge QC told the prosecutor before passing sentence: “I invite you to encourage police to start taking people’s vehicles if they’re prepared to use them to ferry drugs around.”

Debra White, defending, said her client had not realised he was due to be sentenced on the day which is why he did not come directly to the conference from his cell, an explanation accepted by the judge.

She said the best mitigation was his guilty plea and that he ‘did not trouble the courts for a trial’.

“He’s remorseful for what he has done. His explanation is that he was a user of class A drugs himself at the time,” said Miss White.

She also pointed out the gap in his offending (seven years) and added: “Mr Cave is someone who can make a positive contribution to society.”

Judge Burbidge, sentencing, said even though it was not a County Lines operation it was ‘still serious’.

“I accept you were working as a roofer and travelling for work. In the course of that you would drive to Birmingham to purchase drugs for yourself because you were addicted to crack cocaine and heroin. You would also buy additional drugs to supply to others that would enable you to fund your own addiction.

“Apparently these others were a closed group known to you and not strangers.”

He added: “Class A drugs have no doubt blighted your life and the supply of them to others will continue to blight other people’s lives.”

The judge jailed him for two years and nine months, ordered the seizure of the cash and the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs.