Drug dealer gets four years

A 24-year-old Telford man who supplied ecstasy tablets and cocaine to undercover policewomen during the Christmas party season was today jailed for four years.

Dominic Baronet, of Briarwood, Brookside, admitted two charges of supplying the undercover officers with ecstasy and two of supplying cocaine in December and January.

Judge Nicholas Mitchell told him: "The regularity with which you made supplies available shows you were in business, doing this for profit rather than for any personal drug needs. You were making profits out of other people's needs and addictions."

Janet Pitt-Lewis, prosecuting, said the officers were on test purchase duty over the Christmas and New Year period.

They were given a telephone number of a man known as Dom - which was Baronet. They called and were supplied with ecstasy tablets at £1 each and paid £40 for 1gm of cocaine.

Baronet was arrested, shown CCTV pictures and admitted the offences. He said he was not a drug dealer, but was selling for friends. He said he started dealing in September "to help friends out and make a bit of money".

The court was told £250 in cash was found at Baronet's home and the judge ordered this should be confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Mr Paulinus Barnes, defending, said Baronet, whose partner was four months pregnant, had acted foolishly.

He was a man from a good family, had a strict upbringing and had worked since leaving school, but got in with the wrong crowd. He thought he was doing "attractive young police officers" a favour.