A HARD drugs dealer said to have been involved in trying to hide a £170,000 stash of heroin after his arrest, is facing jail.

Rockab Afzal, 29, has owned up to his part in a drugs plot, but is said to claim he knew nothing about the heroin, which was in a car in Pendle. His role was said by the prosecution to have been to keep the key for the vehicle.

Burnley Crown Court heard claims that at some stage after Afzal's arrest at 10am, a Renault car had its windows put in and an attempt was made to take it away on a low loader. The key to that vehicle was found in the defendant's girlfriend's car and, prosecutor Joe Boyd alleged, the clear inference was the reason the car had its windows smashed was because Afzal had been arrested and police were likely to find the key.

The hearing was told the defendant was said to have got other people to try and get rid of the car with the drugs. Both the prosecution and defence agree he played a significant role in the heroin operation, but Afzal's barrister, Mark Stuart said it was towards the bottom end of the scale. Mr Stuart added: "The Crown say if he knew about the drugs in the vehicle, it would be higher up."

Afzal, of May Street, Barrowford, was said to have supplied heroin to an undercover police officer, last August. He admitted conspiracy to supply the drug between December 15, 2011 and April 22, 2013. He will now face a trial over the facts of the case on August 12 and was remanded in custody by Judge Beverley Lunt.

Shahid Ansar, 22, has earlier pleaded guilty to the conspiracy allegation. Ansar, of St Paul's Road, Nelson, had owned up on the basis his role was to hold the dealing phones, it was not his conspiracy, but he played a part in it. He had been warned by a judge that prison was 'almost inevitable'.

Afzal has already served three-and- half years behind bars for peddling crack cocaine and heroin. He was sent down in February 2009, after admitting three counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply.