A TEENAGE drug dealer who supplied heroin and crack cocaine in Worcester and Pershore has been jailed and could soon be deported.

Marco Araujo had already admitted possession of both class A drugs with intent to supply and criminal damage when he appeared before judge Nicholas Cole at Worcester Crown Court to be sentenced.

The 19-year-old was found with drugs and cash from dealing at Crown Parade in Warndon, Worcester, on Sunday, April 23.

A police community support officer on a bike became suspicious when he saw two males talking to one another, one of whom was Araujo.

Charles Hamer, prosecuting, said the other male, who was on a bike and has never been identified, made a gesture towards the defendant using his eyes to indicate police were at the scene.

He added: “Prior to that this defendant had been seen to remove some cash from his pocket and it looked as though he was going to hand the cash to the person on the bike. That man on the bike cycled off as police arrived.”

The PCSO called for back-up and officers told him he was going to be searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act and it was at that point he pushed over the PCSO’s bike, damaging it.

When he was searched police found 60 wraps of heroin worth £600 and a cling film bag containing 12 wraps of a white substance later identified as crack cocaine with a street value of £240.

His mobile phone was also seized and officers confiscated £335 in cash.

Mr Hamer said the mobile phone had not been analysed. Judge Cole said he was surprised this had not taken place, adding: “One imagines it might have been a good idea to analyse the phone to identify those further up the chain.”

Mr Hamer said Araujo had told police he was working for the man who rode off on the bike and was in the process of handing over the proceeds of his dealing to him.

“That man has not been identified” Mr Hamer told the court.

Araujo of Arboretum Road, Worcester, had no previous convictions, reprimands or warnings.

Judith Kenney, defending, said he had shown extreme candour in interview, telling police he had been dealing drugs in Pershore for three days, making £700 on one day, £1,270 on another day and between £500 and £600 on the third day.

Ms Kenney said he came from a good, honest, hard-working family and had succumbed to dealing when he lost his job.

She added: "He fell into this because of his naivety and lack of strength in being able to stand up to someone who did hound him. Immigration has told him he will be deported. He's very, very remorseful. He's not likely to do it again."

Judge Cole said: "It appears that you may well have been handing over the proceeds of the street drug dealing to the person higher up the chain.

"You will know the misery class A drugs bring to society - ill-health and an increase in crime. It's only through people like you willing to undertake the street level supply of drugs that the drug trade is able to flourish as it does."

He sentence him to 28 months in a young offender institution, a sentence reduced by his early guilty plea, youth and lack of previous drug dealing.

The drugs will be destroyed and seized the £335 in cash. He must pay a statutory surcharge which will be calculated administratively.