Dealer hooked on crack cocaine sent to prison

Warren Bingham had moved down from Liverpool to live in Gosport.

But police discovered the 28-year-old was playing a ‘significant role’ in supplying drugs in the area.

Officers searched two addresses in Gosport, including at his partner’s home in Inverness Road.

Police found a safe there, which his partner said she was unable to open.

At the other address they found 18 plastic wraps of crack cocaine worth £360, along with 54 wraps of heroin worth £1,080.

DNA linked Bingham to the drugs, found on June 8 last year. He had a previous drug supply conviction in 2013, the court heard earlier this year.

Jailing Bingham, judge Ian Pearson said: ‘This is your second drug dealing conviction and the last one was really not very long ago.

‘You pleaded guilty to these offences and therefore you entitled to full credit.’

He said it was agreed that Bingham had a ‘significant’ role in the operation. The judge added: ‘Anybody who deals in class A drugs for whatever reason must expect to be dealt with severely.

‘You were dealing two types of drugs and dealing for financial reward.

‘In the circumstances the minimum sentence I can impose is three and a half years.’

He ordered the £3,220 cash found to be forfeit and destroyed by police.

Drug paraphernalia will also be destroyed.

The court heard Bingham had been threatened and was addicted to crack cocaine, and that the operation he was involved in was not his own.

Bingham admitted one charge of possessing criminal property, and two charges of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.