A DEALER found with hard drugs worth over £3,000, but who had claimed he was simply an ‘errand boy’, has been locked up for three years.

The prosecution said ‘chronic addict’ David Roberts, 37, had text messages on his mobile phone, suggesting he was a street level dealer.

Roberts was in possession of heroin worth £1,640 on the streets and high purity crack cocaine worth £1,500, Burnley Crown Court heard.

The defendant, of Plantation Street, Stacksteads, admitted possessing both drugs with intent to supply.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said Roberts had claimed to police he was simply an errand boy on behalf of someone else, but the crown’s case was that the texts indicated he was dealing drugs.

Mr Parker said Roberts accepted what he was doing was wrong and suggested he had been given a package to drop off for somebody. He suspected it was some sort of drug. He claimed he wasn’t dealing and alleged the phone messages were not drug-supply related.

The defendant had five convictions, including a record for possessing drugs and cultivating cannabis.

Dylan Bradshaw, for Roberts, said: “When the defendant was interviewed, he rather optimistically and somewhat naively tried to distance himself from involvement in day to day dealing.”