WHEN keen-eyed neighbourhood policing officers recognised a drug dealer standing on a street corner in Maldon, they searched him and arrested him on the spot.

Now the man's been jailed for a total of 27 months for possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.

Terry Hull, 39, of Spital Road, Maldon, was stopped by officers in Wentworth Meadows on 21 May this year.

As officers searched him, Hull confessed: "I'll be honest with you. I've got bags under here. Man bags with some weed in it, mate.  I'm not gonna lie to you, am I? And there's some white in there as well."

The bags contained 14 wraps of cocaine and 18 bags of cannabis. A subsequent search of Hull recovered £420 cash and a mobile phone containing messages about drug dealing, Chelmsford Crown Court was told on 17 September.

Hull's arrest:

Hull was jailed for a total of 27 months. He'd previously admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis and, in a separate case, harassment and having a bladed article in a public place. He was sentenced for all four offences.

After the hearing, Sergeant Matt Dalby, of Maldon Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "Drug activity brings with it a ripple effect of other criminal behaviour and it is our duty to disrupt and prevent it from taking hold in our neighbourhoods.

"Hull's arrest and conviction demonstrates my team's relentless commitment to tackling drug dealing in our district.

"And it's another example of how proactive policing and responsible use of Stop and Search powers help keep our communities safe.

"I hope this case sends a clear and uncompromising message to anyone who thinks they can deal drugs in Maldon: we are actively looking for you and my officers are very good at finding you."