A DRUG dealer from Stroud who sold heroin and crack cocaine on the county’s streets has been jailed for 37 months.

Jack Geary, aged 36, of Streamside, Stroud, pleaded guilty to possessing quantities of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply in March last year.

At Gloucester Crown Court on Monday, he also admitted handling stolen goods between January 15 and March 21, 2018.

Geary failed to appear at an earlier scheduled sentencing hearing, on July 11, and was arrested on warrant.

Prosecuting on Monday, James Ward explained to the court that Geary’s activities were discovered when police, using automatic number plate recognition technology, flagged up a stolen Ford Fiesta.

Mr Ward said: “The police surrounded the car on March 21, 2018. It was a vehicle which had been stolen from Laura Collins in January of that year.

“Geary was driving the vehicle and was surrounded by a Kinder egg, £635 in cash and 0.169 grams of loose crack cocaine and 0.146 grams of heroin. Inside a rucksack there was an additional 1.36 grams of crack cocaine, three phones with text messages to prove he was dealing, and other drug paraphernalia.”

Joe Maloney, defending, said: “Geary has a heroin dependency. He is resigned to serving a custodial sentence. He heavily got into drugs at the beginning of last year and now wants the matter concluded.”

Judge Michael Cullum said: “Street level dealing in drugs is a very serious matter."

He sentenced Geary to 37 months in prison and ordered that the recovered cash be given to police funds.