An Ipswich man who was involved in the supply of cocaine and cannabis has been jailed for four years.

Police officers who searched 28-year-old Reece Reid’s home in Downside Close, Ipswich, found a bag containing £5,000 cash, an imitation handgun and a long silver knife as well as two small quantities of cannabis, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

When his mobile phone was analysed, police found 40 dealer messages offering several different types of cannabis for sale which Andrew Thompson, prosecuting, described as “organised and sophisticated”.

He said it was clear from the telephone evidence that large sums of money relating to significant quantities of drugs were being referred to.

Mr Thompson said large sums - in excess of £68,000 - of otherwise unexplained money had passed through a bank account Reid had access to.

“This would be consistent with drug supply at a significant level and would fit with a kilo of cocaine being supplied,” he said.

When Reid was interviewed by police, he said he had the imitation gun for protection following an earlier incident.

Reid, 28, of Downside Close, Ipswich, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and being concerned in the supply of cannabis between April 2019 and April this year.

Also before the court was Leearna Garcia, of Coopers Way, Barham, who admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

She was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work.

She was also given a 26-week curfew from 7pm to 6am and a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Sentencing her, Judge David Goodin accused her of being “incredibly stupid” for getting involved with drug dealing but said she she had been involved on a lesser scale than Reid.

The court heard that police found a large number of text message exchanges between Reid and Garcia involving the use of drug terminology relating to cocaine.

Mr Thompson said it appeared from some of the messages that Garcia had been robbed of £2,500 and an ounce of cocaine and Reid was telling her the money would have to be repaid.

Simon Gladwell, for Reid, said he had no previous convictions for drug dealing and the offences were out of character.

He said Reid was a father-of-two and was very sorry for what he’d done.

Richard Peyton-Philip, for Garcia, said she had no previous convictions and had a three-year-old daughter.

She had started using cocaine when her life was in a downward spiral and she was suffering from depression.

He said Garcia was at the bottom end of the supply chain and had “become involved in a world she should never have gone near.”

She had now stopped using drugs and had made efforts to get her life back on track.

Investigsting officer DC Jared Fortune of the Serious Crime Disruption Team said: “I hope the sentences given to these two will be effective in encouraging them to depart from criminality whilst serving as a vital reminder to others who blight our communities through drug supply.

“The consequences of dealing drugs is severe and Suffolk Constabulary will do all in its power to bring such offenders to justice.”