Nigel Johnson, Darlington, was jailed for seven years after he pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine and heroin with intent to su

Nigel Johnson,Darlington, was caught with £4,000 of crack in a car on the Wynyard Services on the A19 last September. He also had £500 worth of heroin and nearly £500 in cash.
Father-of-six Johnson was a passenger in the car. Staff at the services became concerned about the driver who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, so they alerted police, said prosecutor Jim Withyman.
Police went to the passenger side of the car where Johnson was sitting and they saw drugs on his lap and in the footwell.
He tried to discard a black sock containing 70 wraps of cocaine. And in a search the police found the heroin and cash.
Johnson had drug convictions dating back to 1984, including an arrest in almost identical circumstances in 1999. He was caught with cocaine and cannabis and was jailed for four and a half years plus 17 months prison recall in 2000, said Mr Withyman.He had ten drugs convictions and four for supplying drugs
Johnson was a gym instructor and roofer who began using cannabis as a teenager, said Sumita Mahtab, defending. He had been addicted to drugs since his 20s.
Judge Michael Taylor told Johnson: “The use of crack cocaine in this area is a big problem and plays havoc with the lives of users and their families.
“It is a high-risk business to be involved in with big windfalls for the dealers and, when you are caught, big sentences.
“I am quite satisfied that the public have got to realise that this is an evil trade, and people like you are going to be stamped upon and stamped upon hard.”
Johnson, of Kitching Grove, Darlington, was jailed for seven years after he pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply.