A TEENAGE drug dealer found with 80 wraps of Class A drugs in his pants has been jailed for three years.

Police officers pulled over Ryan Thomas in Mersea Road, Colchester, after spotting the car he was driving was uninsured and had no registered keeper.

When Thomas pulled over officers found the inside of the vehicle to have a strong smell of cannabis.

The 19-year-old was arrested and taken to Colchester Police Station where he was found to be concealing 80 wraps of Class A drugs in his pants.

The wraps were made up of 77 wraps of the cocaine and three wraps of diamorphine - better known as heroin.

He was charged with two counts of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply after he was arrested in March.

Thomas, of Norman Crescent, Brentwood, admitted the charges at Ipswich Crown Court where he was sentenced to three years in jail.

PC Esther Talbot, who works for Essex Police's Operation Raptor team, said she was glad to see the large amount of drugs off the streets.

She said: “There is no doubt that, with the amount of drugs he was concealing, Thomas was clearly out on the streets ready to sell his illegal wares.

“Fortunately he was stopped and arrested and those drugs have now been destroyed by order of the court, without ever reaching the streets of our county.

“We will not tolerate those people dealing in our county or travelling to it to sell drugs. If you are doing that here it is only a matter of time before you can expect to get a knock on the door or stopped on the street by Operation Raptor.”

Operation Raptor was set up in Essex to tackle gang and drug-related crime.

Anyone with information about drug or gang-related crime in their community can contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Thomas was sentenced on Thursday, October 26.